COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF PEFLOXACIN PLUS METRONIDAZOLE AND GENTAMICIN PLUS METRONIDAZOLE IN THE COADJUVANT TREATMENT OF PERITONEAL INFECTIONS

An open, randomised study was carried out to compare the efficacy and tolerability of pefloxacin plus metronidazole with gentamicin plus met ronidazole in the coadjuvant treatment of generalised purulent periton itis. The study was conducted on 100 patients of both sexes aged 18 to 93 years who had a diagnosis of diffuse purulent peritoneal infection . The antibiotics were administered up to a period of 4 days after all clinical or microbiological signs of infection had disappeared, with total treatment not exceeding 4 weeks. At the end of treatment, 6 of t he 48 patients (12.5%) receiving pefloxacin plus metronidazole (PM gro up) and 21 of the 52 patients (40.4%) receiving gentamicin plus metron idazole (GM group) had localised infections. When the clinical efficac y of treatment was evaluated 15 days after discharge from the hospital , 39 patients in the PM group were found to be cured (81.2%), and ther e were 3 deaths (6.25%). In the GM group, 29 patients were found to be cured (55.7%), and there were 8 deaths (15.4%). Thus, the cure rate w as significantly higher in the PM group than in the GM group (chi2 = 6 .323; p < 0.05). We conclude that both antibiotic regimens utilised we re effective as coadjuvants in the surgical treatment of diffuse purul ent peritonitis, although the pefloxacin/metronidazole combination led to a better cure rate.