A comparison of mezlocillin versus clindamycin/gentamicin for the treatment of postcesarean endomyometritis

In a prospective, randomized study of 96 patients after cesarean section who had endomyometritis, there was a therapeutic cure in 35 of 47 (74.5%) patients who received mezlocillin, in comparison with 42 of 49 (85.7%) patients who received clindamycin and gentamicin (p = 0.17). Only wound infections in the study population were predictive for therapeutic outcome. Four of the five patients who received mezlocillin and none of the three patients who received clindamycin and gentamicin with wound infections were associated with therapeutic failures. This suggests mezlocillin may not be as effective as clindamycin and gentamicin in successfully treating wound infections. The number of vaginal examinations in patients sectioned for cephalopelvic disproportion was associated with increased febrile morbidity, suggesting that an excessive number of vaginal examinations should be avoided in the laboring patient.