Effectiveness of cefoxitin on preventing endometritis after uterine curettage for spontaneous incomplete abortion: a randomized controlled trial study.

BACKGROUND There are only few studies concerning the usage of antibiotics in preventing endometritis after uterine curettage for spontaneous first trimester incomplete abortion and no conclusion can be demonstrated OBJECTIVE To investigate the effectiveness of prophylactic cefoxitin in preventing endometritis after uterine curettage for spontaneous first trimester incomplete abortion. MATERIAL AND METHOD Eighty-four women with spontaneous first trimester incomplete abortion were randomly allocated into two groups using a computer-generated random number list and the allocation concealment was maintained using a sealed opaque envelope. The patients in the study group were given 1 g of cefoxitin while the patients in the control group were given 0.1 ml of vitamin B complex intravenously 20 minutes prior to curettage. Uterine curettage was performed after intravenous sedation and analgesic drugs were administered. The patients were evaluated on the first, third and seventh day after uterine curettage. RESULTS Seventy-nine cases had completed the study protocol. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic data and details of uterine curettage between both groups. Two cases of endometritis were found in the control group but none in the study group. However the difference did not reach the statistical significance (p = 0.241). CONCLUSION Prophylactic cefoxitin is not effective in preventing endometritis after uterine curettage for spontaneous first trimester incomplete abortion.