Purpose: To compare the efficacy of ceftriaxone before skin incision and after cord clamping in preventing post-operative infectious morbidity and neonatal outcome in elective caesarean section and to determine the effect of antibiotic prophylaxis before skin incision on neonatal outcome.
Methods: Our study was a randomised controlled trial conducted among 874 women undergoing elective caesarean section from October 2010 to July 2012. These women were randomly categorised into two groups with 437 women in each group. Group 1 received single dose of ceftriaxone 1 g intravenously 15-45 min before skin incision. Group 2 received the antibiotic after cord clamping. Primary outcome measures were maternal post-operative infectious morbidities like surgical site wound infection, febrile morbidity, endometritis, urinary tract infections and neonatal sepsis. Results were analysed using Chi-square test and unpaired t test.
Results: Surgical site wound infection occurred in 3 women in group 1 (0.7%) and 6 women in group 2 (1.4%). Fever occurred in 9 women in group 1 (2.1%) and 5 in group 2 (1.1%) with the p value of 0.419, not statistically significant. Urinary tract infection occurred in 9 women in group 1 (2.1%) and 7 women in group 2 (1.6%) with the p value of 0.801. None of the women in either group developed endometritis. About 20 neonates [10 neonates (2.3%) in group 1 and 10 neonates (2.3%) in group 2] required NICU admission after caesarean delivery. The reasons for admission were respiratory distress, prematurity and congenital anomaly. About 0.9% of neonates in group 1 and 1.8% in group 2 developed neonatal sepsis with positive blood culture (p = 0.388).
Conclusion: Timing of administration of prophylactic antibiotics for elective caesarean section either before skin incision or after cord clamping did not have significant difference in the occurrence of post-operative infectious morbidity. No adverse neonatal outcome was observed in women who received the antibiotic before skin incision.