Comparing Antibiotics for Treating Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
Author Information
Author(s): David L. Hemsell, George D. Wendel, Jr., Patricia G. Hemsell, Molly L. Heard, Brenda J. Nobles
Primary Institution: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Hypothesis
Is ampicillin/sulbactam more effective than cefoxitin in treating acute pelvic inflammatory disease?
Conclusion
Ampicillin/sulbactam is more effective than cefoxitin for treating acute pelvic inflammatory disease, especially when complicated by inflammatory masses.
Supporting Evidence
- Ampicillin/sulbactam cured 98.7% of women treated, while cefoxitin cured 90.2%.
- Women with inflammatory masses had a higher success rate with ampicillin/sulbactam.
- Clinical failures were associated with non-gonococcal, non-chlamydial infections.
Takeaway
This study looked at two antibiotics to treat a painful infection in women's reproductive organs. One antibiotic worked better than the other, especially when there were extra complications.
Methodology
Women diagnosed with acute pelvic inflammatory disease were randomly assigned to receive either ampicillin/sulbactam or cefoxitin for at least 4 days, with daily assessments of their response to therapy.
Potential Biases
Potential for biased selection due to the open clinical trial design.
Limitations
The study relied on clinical diagnoses rather than laparoscopic confirmation, and follow-up cultures were only performed for treatment failures.
Participant Demographics
Women aged 18 and older, with similar demographic characteristics across treatment groups.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.007
Confidence Interval
95% CI 92.9-100.0% for ampicillin/sulbactam; 95% CI 76.9-97.3% for cefoxitin
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
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