Antibiotics can prevent wound complications of childbirth, Stanford/Packard s...(the rectum. The tears are surgically rep...),Health

Duggal, Daniels and El-Sayed conducted a randomized, double-blind study in 147 women who experienced third- or fourth-degree tears while delivering infants at either Packard Children's Hospital or Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. After agreeing to participate in the study, the women were randomly assigned to receive a one-time intravenous infusion of either antibiotic or placebo during the repair of their tear. Neither the women nor their physicians knew which treatment they received.

The researchers found that four of 49 patients (8.2 percent) treated with antibiotics and 14 of 58 patients (24.1 percent) who received the placebo showed symptoms of infection or breakdown two weeks after the repair. The remaining 40 women did not return for their scheduled follow-up appointments, but the difference between the two returning groups was statistically significant.

"We're excited because it's such a simple intervention," said El-Sayed. The difference between the two groups persisted despite variability in surgical technique, suture and type of antibiotic.

Although the study was relatively small, the results detected an important difference in outcome. Until now, physicians were divided as to whether antibiotic treatment was helpful for these women, and most health-care providers made their own choices.

"At Packard," said El-Sayed, "antibiotic use was pretty hit-or-miss according to the preference of the physician. Personally, I didn't use it. But I certainly do now." Physicians at Packard Children's now routinely use antibiotics when repairing these types of tears.

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