Prophylactic intracameral cefuroxime - Efficacy in preventing endophthalmitis after cataract surgery

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of prophylactic intracameral cefuroxime in preventing endophthalmitis in cataract surgery. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, St. Eriks Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Methods: In a noncontrolled retrospective observational study, ail cases of recorded postoperative endophthalmitis were related to the total number of uncombined cataract procedures from January 1996 to December 2000. Results: Twenty cases of postoperative endophthalmitis occurred in 32 180 procedures, yielding an overall rate of 0.06%. Cefuroxime-resistant organisms accounted for 12 of 13 culture-positive cases, and enterococci were the most common etiology. Conclusions: Intracameral cefuroxime 1 mg appeared to effectively inhibit sensitive bacterial strains and was associated with a low frequency of postoperative endophthalmitis. The causative organisms of future incidents of postoperative endophthalmitis will determine whether the present protocol must be reappraised. (C) 2002 ASCRS and ESCRS.