Research Question: In emergency department patients with simple hand cuts, do prophylactic antibiotics reduce the risk of wound infections?
Simple hand lacerations, defined as hand lacerations that do not involve special structures such as bones, tendons, vessels, or nerves, are common in the emergency departments. The exact rate of infection in such wounds is unclear. It is also not clear whether prescribing prophylactic antibiotics reduces the risk of infection in simple hand lacerations. The objective of this randomized double blind controlled study is to: 1. Identify the rate of infection in simple hand lacerations, 2. Identify factors or wound characteristics that increase the risk of infection, and 3. Assess whether prescribing prophylactic antibiotics decreases the risk of infections in such wounds compared to placebo.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
73
500 mg (two 250 mg capsules) every 6 hours for 7 days
300 mg of clindamycin (two 150 mg capsules) every 6 hours for 7 days
Two placebo capsules every 6 hours for 7 days
Kings County Hospital Center
Brooklyn, New York, United States
State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Staten Island University Hospital
Staten Island, New York, United States
Number of Participants With Presence of Wound Infection
Hand lacerations will be examined 10-14 days after initial wound closure and will be assessed for presence of infection.
Time frame: 2 weeks
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