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Endophthalmitis prevention patterns vary widely globally
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BEIJING — A study of endophthalmitis prophylaxis practice patterns for cataract surgery in an Asian city adds to the wide disparity in patterns globally, according to a presentation given here.
While the ESCRS Endophthalmitis Study has led to increased use of intracameral cefuroxime in the UK (55%), there has been little increase in the U.S. (6%) and no use in Singapore, Soon-Phaik Chee, MD, reported at the 25th APAO Congress here.
Additionally, 88% of U.S. surgeons use topical antibiotics, 78% use them in Singapore, while only 6% use them in the UK.
Dr. Chee and colleagues carried out the Singapore-based study to see the impact of the ESCRS study there. They performed a phone interview of 121 of 169 ophthalmologists for a 76.6% response rate, she said. Of the 29.8% who use intracameral antibiotics, 94.4% use cefazolin, but 53.7% would use intracameral cefuroxime if a commercial preparation were available.
Dr. Chee cited the fact that there were no infections occurring in more than 10,000 intraocular surgeries at the Singapore National Eye Center in 2009.
"We felt that if it wasn't broken, there was no need to fix it," she said.