Characteristics of the Ideal Antibiotic for Prevention of Wound Sepsis Among Military Forces in the Field

Prompt administration of antibiotics is of the utmost importance in the treatment of wounds inflicted during a war or disaster. A single injection of a broad-spectrum drug with a long half-life should begiven prophylactically to personnel on the battlefield to provide bactericidal cover-age from the earliest possible moment after injury occurs. The antibiotic must remain effective at least throughout the period of transport to hospital and surgery. Use of antimicrobial agents will never replace careful surgical debridement, and these drugs should beused again later only ifa bacterial infection develops. Other considerations include the choice of a drug that penetrates tissue thoroughly, is simple to store and administer, is easily available, and is cost effective. In previous centuries, disasters and wars caused terrible suffering and loss of life. Beforethe discovery of antibiotics, wounds were much feared, since local infectionand subse-quent sepsiswerecomplications of aboutone-halfof the more severetraumas; gas gangrene was commonand virtually al-ways fatal. If a potentially life-threatening infection of this type waslocalizedin one of the limbs, the soleoption for sav