Endophthalmitis after cataract surgery and effect of different intracameral antibiotic regimes in Sweden 2011-2017: national registry study.

PURPOSE: To study the incidence, predictive factors, etiology, and visual consequences of postoperative endophthalmitis (PE) in relation to 3 intracameral (IC) antibiotic regimes.

SETTING

Swedish National Cataract Register entries from 2011 through 2017.

DESIGN

Observational retrospective study.

METHODS

PE incidence, influencing factors, bacteriology, and visual outcome were analyzed regarding the 3 major prophylactic IC protocols.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of PE was 0.023% or 177 cases in 764 513 cataract procedures. Analyzed per IC regime, the rates of PE were 0.024% (126 cases in 514 916 surgeries) for cefuroxime, 0.020% (25 cases in 122 340 surgeries) for moxifloxacin, and 0.017% (20 cases in 121 045 surgeries) for combined cefuroxime-ampicillin. Incidences were not statistically significantly different from one another. Gram-positive bacteria caused 89.0% of culture positive cases. Enterococci as pathogens were significantly more frequent with IC cefuroxime than with moxifloxacin, P = .006, or cefuroxime-ampicillin, P < .001, while streptococci other than enterococci were more common with moxifloxacin than with cefuroxime, P < .001. Bacterial susceptibility to the given antibiotics was demonstrated in 21.3% of PE cases treated with cefuroxime, which was statistically significantly lower than proportions found with cefuroxime-ampicillin, 60.0%, P = .015, or with moxifloxacin, 88.2%, P < .001. Visual outcome worse than 20/200 was similar in the groups ranging from 42.0% to 53.7%.

CONCLUSIONS

No statistically significant differences in PE incidence or visual outcome results between treatment groups were demonstrated. However, differences in etiology and bacterial sensitivity were found between the prophylactic IC treatments.