Administering Additional Antibiotics Prior to C Section

Infection is among the top five causes of maternal death in the United States, and cesarean delivery is the most common major surgical procedure, with up to five times the risk for infection than a vaginal delivery. Physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and colleagues have discovered that administering the antibiotic azithromycin alongside the standard recommended antibiotic regimen, cefazolin, reduces infection rates by 50 percent for women who have a non-elective cesarean delivery.

"There are significant costs associated with infections," Tita said. "The reduction in readmissions, visits, fevers and overall antibiotic use due to the intervention was higher than we expected, and translates to reduced health care costs."

Listen in as Alan T.N. Tita, MD., explains that a major national goal is to reduce the risk of infection after surgery, and this finding is the culmination of investigative work over decades.