Comparison of the effectiveness of moxalactam and cefazolin in the prevention of infection in patients undergoing abdominal operations

Patients undergoing elective intraabdominal operations received a three-dose prophylactic regimen of either moxalactam (83 patients) or cefazolin (98 patients) in a blinded, randomized fashion. There was a 9% overall infection rate with 6% for those in the cefazolin group (6/98), and 12% for those treated with moxalactam (10/83) ( p = 0.26 ). Infection rates stratified by types of surgery were similar for both regimens. The drugs were well tolerated, with minimal side effects. Patients at highest risk of infection were those with obstruction of upper gastrointestinal tract and those with pancreatitis. We concluded that moxalactam was no more effective than cefazolin in preventing postoperative infections in this study population.