There was no consistency among the protocol s regarding length of antibiotic use , discharge criteria , or use of home antibiotics following discharge .
Limiting duration of antibiotic use to3 days did not appear to be associated with higher rates of intraabdominal abscess or wound infection .
In the absence of higher-level evidence , shortening of antibiotic regimens following surgery for pediatric complicated appendicitis appears to be safe
The suitable duration of antibiotic use following appendectomy for advanced appendicitis in children is still debated .
Perioperative prophylaxis with sulbactam and ampicillin compared with metronidazole and cefotaxime in the prevention of wound infection in children undergoing appendectomy.
Sulbactam is a beta-lactamase inhibitor , which when administered with ampicillin , increases the latter agents antibacterial activity against beta-lactamase producing organisms . One hundred children between the ages of 5 and 14 undergoing emergency appendectomy were entered into a prospect i ve r and omized trial comparing sulbactam and ampicillin ( SA ) with metronidazole and cefotaxime ( MC ) as prophylaxis against postoperative wound infection .  Patients in whom the appendix was perforated or gangrenous received a 72-hour course of antibiotics , others received a single dose only . The overall wound infection rate was 8 % ( 14 % in patients with perforation or gangrene and 4 % in those without ) . There was no difference in infection rate between the two antibiotic groups ; there were three wound infections and one subphrenic abscess in patients receiving SA and four wound infections in patients receiving MC . SA , therefore , appears to be a suitable antibiotic combination for use as prophylaxis in appendicitis in children
There was no consistency among the protocol s regarding length of antibiotic use , discharge criteria , or use of home antibiotics following discharge .
Limiting duration of antibiotic use to3 days did not appear to be associated with higher rates of intraabdominal abscess or wound infection .
In the absence of higher-level evidence , shortening of antibiotic regimens following surgery for pediatric complicated appendicitis appears to be safe
The suitable duration of antibiotic use following appendectomy for advanced appendicitis in children is still debated .