Prophylactic antibiotics for one day okay after catheter removal following RP: Study
1-day regimen of prophylactic antibiotics is most beneficial after catheter removal following post-radical prostatectomy (RP), suggests a study published in the Journal of Urology.
Prophylactic antibiotics are routinely given at the time of catheter removal post-radical prostatectomy (RP). The low rate of infectious complications entails that large sample sizes are required for randomized controlled trials, a challenge gave the cost of standard randomized controlled trials.
A group of researchers from U.S.A evaluated infectious complications associated with 1 vs 3 days of prophylactic antibiotics at the time of catheter removal post-RP using a novel, clinically integrated trial with randomization at the surgeon level.
Surgeons were cluster randomized for periods of 3 months to prescribe 1-day vs 3-day regimen of prophylactic antibiotics at the time of catheter removal. The primary endpoint was an infectious complication as routinely captured by nursing phone call within 10 days of catheter removal and defined as positive urine cultures (≥105 CFU) and at least 1 of the following symptoms: fever (>38°C), urgency, frequency, dysuria or suprapubic tenderness.
The results of the study are as follows:
- A total of 824 patients were consented and underwent RP with, respectively, 389 and 435 allocated to 1-day and 3-day antibiotics, predominantly ciprofloxacin.
- Accrual was achieved within 3 years: 95% vs 88% of patients received the allocated 3-day vs 1-day antibiotic regimen.
- There were 0 urinary tract infections (0%) in the 1-day regimen and 3 urinary tract infections (0.7%) in the 3-day regimen, meeting our prespecified criterion for declaring the 1-day regimen to be non-inferior.
Thus, the researchers concluded that if surgeons choose to prescribe empiric prophylactic antibiotics after catheter removal following RP, then the duration should not exceed 1 day.
Reference:
The Duration of Antibiotics Prophylaxis at the Time of Catheter Removal after Radical Prostatectomy: Clinically Integrated, Cluster, Randomized Trial by Ehdaie B et. al published in the Journal of Urology.
