THE EFFECT OF CIPROFLOXACIN IN THE PREVENTION OF BACTERIAL-INFECTION IN PATIENTS WITH CIRRHOSIS AFTER UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL-BLEEDING

Objectives: Cirrhotic patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding ar e prone to bacterial infection. The aim of this study was to investiga te the efficacy of prophylactic intestinal decontamination with oral c iprofloxacin for the prevention of bacterial infections in cirrhotic p atients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding., Methods: A total of 120 cirrhotic patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding were en rolled. Sixty patients received ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice daily given orally or through nasogastric tube immediately after upper gastrointe stinal endoscopic examination; drug administration continued for 7 day s. The remaining 60 patients, who received placebo, served as controls . Results: The incidence of proven bacterial infection in the ciproflo xacin-treated group was significantly lower than that of placebo group (10% vs 45%,p < 0.001). The incidences of bacteremia, spontaneous bac terial peritonitis, and urinary tract infection in the ciprofloxacin-t reated group were significantly lower than those in the placebo group (0% vs 23%, 3.3% vs 13%, and 5% vs 18%, respectively; p < 0.05, respec tively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a lack of prophylactic treatment with ciprofloxacin and severity of cirrhosis were the independent significant predictors for cirrhotic patients wi th acute gastrointestinal bleeding with infection. Conclusions: Prophy lactic intestinal decontamination with oral ciprofloxacin is effective in the prevention of bacterial infections in patients with cirrhosis who were suffering from acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. (Am J Gastroenterol 1998;93:962-966. (C) 1998 by Am. Cell. of Gastroenterol ogy).