Successful prophylaxis with tinidazole of infection after major head and neck surgery for malignant disease.

A prospective double-blind trial of tinidazole was carried out in a group of 8 patients, each undergoing radical surgery for the removal of a large squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oropharynx. In the 4 patients given tinidazole there was no wound infection, wound healing was more rapid and the foul odour associated with infection in such patients was eliminated. Post-operatively, 3 of the 4 patients given the placebo developed wound infections. Mixed cultures of gram-negative anaerobic bacilli, predominantly bacteroides, were grown from the upper drain fluids of the infected patients. Anaerobes were not isolated from the drain fluids of patients receiving tinidazole. The efficacy of tinidazole was demonstrated in these patients who are at high risk of acquiring infection because of the extensive surgery required for tumour removal and the inevitable contamination of the tissues with the diverse, resident oral flora.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes