Long-acting versus short-acting cephalosporins for preoperative prophylaxis in breast surgery: a randomized double-blind trial involving 1,766 patients

This is a critical abstract of an economic evaluation that meets the criteria for inclusion on NHS EED. Each abstract contains a brief summary of the methods, the results and conclusions followed by a detailed critical assessment on the reliability of the study and the conclusions drawn. The authors concluded that the use of a single dose of antibiotic with a long half-life, ceftriaxone, greatly lessens the risk of any post-operative infection and realises cost savings compared to the short half-life antibiotic, ceftazidime, in patients undergoing breast surgery.