| Abstract: | The clinical surgeon is required to assume important responsibilities in the management of microbial infections. To be effective, antibiotics should be used against sensitive organisms, the lesion should be infused adequately, and, ideally, the antibiotic should be bactericidal and compatible with other antibiotic agents in combination. A survey of commonly used antibiotics disclosed that penicillin in its synthetic and natural forms is still the drug of choice in most cases, particularly since, in its different forms, it may be used in combination with other agents to give a wide antibacterial spectrum. As a major surgical problem, Gram-positive septicemia has been superseded by Gram-negative septicemia and attendant endotoxin shock. Most authorities advocate a combination of bactericidal and bacteriostatic antibiotics in the treatment of endotoxin shock. However, while antibiotic therapy is considered crucial in the treatment of this condition, the mortality rate is still high and no uniform regimen of antibiotic therapy has been accepted. |
