[Prompt antibiotic prophylaxis in resection of the prostate and removal of the bladder catheter].

Several regimens of antibiotic prophylaxis have been used in transurethral prostatic resection. In this study 50 patients received 1 g of cefotaxime during resection and thereafter were divided at random into two groups: one group received another 1 g dose of cefotaxime when the bladder catheter was removed, while the other group was left untreated at that stage. The administration of cefotaxime during both prostatic resection and catheter removal resulted in a highly significant reduction of infection risk, duration of hospitalisation and cost of antibacterial treatment. The most important risk of sepsis seems to be related to an apparently innocuous procedure: removal of the bladder catheter with resumption of spontaneous micturition.