Cataracts and antibiotic prophylaxis

Pubblicato il

Wednesday, 1 April 2015

Argomento

Surgical Area

Cataract surgery and antibiotic prophylaxis with netilmycin: 'Hot Topic' at A.R.V.O. 2015

Antibiotic prophylaxis in cataract surgery is a highly topical subject of lively debate among specialists. In this regard, the Programme Committee of the A.R.V.O. Annual Congress (Denver, 3-7 May 2015) selected as "Hot Topic, the abstract:
"Netilmycin for antibiotic prophylaxis before cataract surgery".
V. Pope, C. Cannatella, A.R. Blanco, M. Santocono
SIFI SpA (Italy) and Ophthalmology Unit Di Stefano Private Hospital Catania (Italy)

"Hot Topic" is an award that ARVO reserves for research that is new and innovative in its field. This acknowledgement is awarded to less than 6% of all abstracts admitted to the congress (more than 6,000).
The 'Hot Topics' are, therefore, related to topics intended to arouse the interest of the press and the general public. For this reason, we publish a brief description of this research, written by the authors in language that is easily understood by non-specialists.
"Cataract removal is one of the most common surgical procedures. Postoperative infectious complications in the intraocular cavities (endophthalmitis) are rare, but potentially devastating. The source of pathogens is always the patient's ocular surface itself, and therefore any topical antibiotic used before surgery should be effective against the patient's flora and able to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of bacteria on the ocular surface. This study showed that more than 70% of the patients were positive for bacterial growth in the conjunctiva or eyelid or both, and that many of the commonly used ophthalmic antibiotics were not effective against several potential pathogens. Netilmycin was the only antibiotic tested effective in vitro towards more than 90% of microorganisms. Consequently, a three-day course of netilmycin ophthalmic solution (Nettacin SIFI SpA, Italy) prior to surgery was suitable for eliminating bacteria present in the conjunctiva and eyelid in 98% and 91% of patients, respectively. Although the prophylactic use of antibiotic before cataract extraction remains controversial, the result of this study is likely to influence clinical practice related to the choice of the appropriate antibiotic for the prevention of infectious complications'.

English language version

Cataract surgery: netilmicin in antibiotic prophylaxis
Antibiotic prophylaxis in cataract surgery is a subject of great interest and strong debate for eye care specialists. This year the Annual Meeting Programme Committee of A.R.V.O. (Denver, 3-7 May 2015) selected as a "Hot Topic, the abstract:
"Netilmycin for antibiotic prophylaxis before cataract surgery".
V. Pope, C. Cannatella, A.R. Blanco, M. Santocono
SIFI SpA (Italy) and Ophthalmology Unit Di Stefano Private Hospital Catania (Italy)

"Hot Topic" is a prestigious distinction ARVO awards to subjects representing the newest and most innovative research being conducted in various specialties. This acknowledgement is given to less than 6% of all 2015 Annual Meeting abstracts (more than 6,000) and is a sign that the research may be interesting for the press and the general public.
Therefore we publish a short description of this research, prepared by the Authors in a language that every layman can easily understand.
"Cataract extraction is one of the most common surgical procedures performed. Postoperative infective complications of the intraocular cavities (endophthalmitis) are rare but potentially devastating. The source of pathogens is always the patient's own ocular surface and therefore any topical antibiotic used before intervention should be effective against patient's flora and able to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of bacteria from the ocular surface. This study showed that more than 70% of patients were positive for the growth of bacteria in the conjunctiva or in the eyelid or both, and that many of the common used ophthalmic antibiotics fail to cover several potential pathogens. Netilmycin was the only tested antibiotic effective in vitro in more than 90% of microorganisms. Accordingly, a 3-days course with netilmicin ophthalmic solution (Nettacin SIFI SpA, Italy) before surgery was able to eliminate the bacteria present in the conjunctiva and in the eyelid in 98% and 91% of patients, respectively. Despite the prophylactic use of antibiotic before cataract extraction remains controversial, the results of this study is likely to influence clinical practice related to the appropriate antibiotic choice for the prevention of infectious complications.

Dr. Carmelo Chines
Direttore responsabile