Prevention of post-appendicectomy sepsis by mezlocillin and metronidazole: a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial.

In a double-blind trial a 6% infection rate resulted from the use of a single peroperative dose of mezlocillin in emergency appendicectomy for non-perforated disease. No advantage was demonstrated by mezlocillin over the 8% infection rate achieved with metronidazole. There was only one anaerobic infection in the mezlocillin group although Bacteroides fragilis had been isolated at operation from all three infected cases and many other uninfected patients. No anaerobic infections were detected in the metronidazole group.