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A total of 200 patients (131 males and 69 females), scheduled for cardiovascular surgery were randomly assigned to receive either sulbactam/ampicillin 1 g IV of cefuroxime 2 g IV before the surgical incision and then, postoperatively, 8-hourly x 3 days. There were five failure of prophylaxis (all in the cefuroxime group): 3 sternal incision abscesses (1 Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 2 Staphylococcus epidermidis), one urinary tract infection (Staphylococcus aureus) and one Micrococcus pneumoniae. Tolerance to both antibiotics was excellent. In our sample of patients, the efficacy and safety of sulbactam/ampicillin were not different from those of cefuroxime in prophylaxis in cardiovascular surgery.

Clinical effectiveness of Aztreonam was studied. This new monobactam antimicrobial agent was tasted in the treatment of post-operative infectious complications of cardiac surgical sternal wounds. Ten patients (4 men and 6 women, age range 20 to 68 years) were entered into the study. All had a Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of sternum or sternum and ribs and all underwent an extensive regional surgery of the infection wound and received a topical and/or IV treatment with Aztreonam. In all cases we obtained a satisfactory result, with complete eradication of the infection. Both local and systemic tolerance to the drug were excellent and no side-effect was registered. Therefore Aztreonam can be considered an active and safe antibiotic for the treatment of sternal and/or costal postsurgical infections by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.