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Intracameral cefazolin reduces endophthalmitis risk after cataract surgery
J Cataract Refract Surg. 2009;35(4):637-642.
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Intracameral cefazolin appears to help prevent endophthalmitis after cataract surgery, according to a large study.
“Cefazolin fulfills international recommendations on antimicrobial prophylaxis for surgical site infections and is easier to obtain in developing countries,” the study authors said. “We hope these results will encourage the intracameral use of prophylactic antibiotic agents at the end of surgery.”
The study included 18,579 cataract procedures performed in a 6-year period. The sample included 5,930 procedures done before the introduction of cefazolin prophylaxis and 12,649 procedures performed after the introduction of the antibiotic agent. A 2.5 mg/0.1 mL bolus of intracameral cefazolin at the end of cataract surgery was added to the prophylactic protocol in January 2004.
There were 25 cases of postop endophthalmitis diagnosed in 5,930 procedures performed in the 2 years before the introduction of intracameral cefazolin. The cumulative incidence was 0.422%. After the addition of intracameral cefazolin, there were six cases of endophthalmitis in 12,649 procedures, an incidence of 0.047%. The relative risk of endophthalmitis with intracameral cefazolin was 88.7% lower than the risk of endophthalmitis without intracameral cefazolin, the authors said.