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RecruitingNCT05337566Updated Sep 22, 2026

Does Additional Use of Preoperative Azithromycin Decrease Posthysterectomy Infections

An interventional study of Azithromycin Pill + Cefuroxime and Placebo + Cefuroxime in Infection Post Op, Hysterectomy and Antibiotics, sponsored by Helsinki University Central Hospital. Recruiting at 6 sites in Finland. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-22.

Sponsored by Helsinki University Central Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Sep 2022; still recruiting 4 years 2 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
2,278
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

During hysterectomy bacteria may enter into the peritoneal cavity through vaginal opening and contaminate the healing tissues. The risk for deep infection after hysterectomy is about 5%. By reducing post-hysterectomy infections, it is possible to reduce individual burden of disease in addition to the direct and indirect financial costs. This study primary aim is to assess if prophylactic preoperative use of azithromycin in addition to generally used cefuroxime decreases post-hysterectomy infections as compared to cefuroxime only prophylaxis during 30 days after hysterectomy. Secondary aim is to assess if there is change in post-hysterectomy superficial infections, urinary tract infections, or post-operative fever between the cohorts and to report possible side-effects of the used antibiotics. In addition, the study finds out a possible role of bacterial vaginosis and microbiome n post-hysterectomy infections.

02

Conditions studied

  • Infection Post Op
  • Hysterectomy
  • Antibiotics
  • Prophylactic

Browse trials for

Keywords

  • postoperative, infection, hysterectomy, antibiotics
03

In context

Infections

2,093 studies on the registry are indexed under Infections; 364 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 2,278 is above the median of 113 across 1,304 interventional studies indexed under Infections.

Browse Infections studies →

Lead sponsor

Helsinki University Central Hospital is the lead sponsor of 311 studies on the registry; 61 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Women undergoing hysterectomy for benign indication in University Hospitals (Helsinki University Hospital, Turku University Hospital, Tampere University Hospital, Oulu University Hospital and Kuopio University Hospital) who have not any for azithromycin or cefuroxime.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to understand the study protocol.
  • Allergy for either cefuroxime or azithromycin.
  • Congenital or acquired prolonged Q-T-corrected interval. All the participants will be asked about arrhythmias and whether they have congenital arrhythmias in the family,
  • will be checked for all the participants.
  • Use of medicines that may prolong Q-T-corrected interval (class Ia arrhythmia medications, quinidine, procainamide, and class III arrhythmia medications dofetilide, amiodarone and sotalol).
  • Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medication and prolonged Q-T-corrected interval.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

ECG (electrocardiogram)

A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Triple (Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
2,278 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Azithromycin + Cefuroxime

    Changed with renewed study permissions: These patients will receive Azithromycin 500 mg (2 tablets) per orally on the operation day when they arrive to the hospital and a single dose Cefuroxime 1.5g (when body mass index is under 30) or 3g (for those whose bosy mass index is 30 or more) in the operating theatre before the incision. The previous description: These patients will receive Azithromycin 500 mg (2 tablets) per orally in the evening before the operation and single dose Cefuroxime 1.5g (when body mass index is under 30) or 3g (for those whose body mass index is 30 or more) in the operating theatre before the incision.

    Drug: Azithromycin Pill + Cefuroxime

  • Active comparator
    Placebo + Cefuroxime

    Changed with new study permissions: These patients will receive placebo (2 tablets) per orally on the operation day when they arrive to the hospital and a single dose Cefuroxime 1.5g (when body mass index is under 30) or 3g (for those whose bosy mass index is 30 or more)in the operating theatre before the incision. The previous description: These patients will receive placebo (2 tablets) per orally in the evening before the operation and a single dose Cefuroxime 1.5g (when body mass index is under 30) or 3g (for those whose body mass index is 30 or more) in the operating theatre before the incision.

    Drug: Placebo + Cefuroxime

Interventions

  • DrugAzithromycin Pill + Cefuroxime

    Azithromycin 500 mg (2 tablets) per orally when arriving to the hospital before the operation and a single dose Cefuroxime 1.5g (when body mass index is under 30) or 3g (for those whose body mass index is 30 or more) in the operating theatre before the incision

  • DrugPlacebo + Cefuroxime

    Placebo (2 tablets) per orally in the evening when arriving to the hospital before the operation and a single dose Cefuroxime 1.5g (when body mass index is under 30) or 3g (for those whose body mass index is 30 or more) in the operating theatre before the incision

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of post-hysterectomy episodes with deep infections

    Number of deep wound and pelvic organ infection episodes reported by patients and doctors

    Time frame: Deep infections that occur between the first and 30th postoperative day after hysterectomy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of other post-hysterectomy infections or fever episodes

    Number of superficial infections, other infections, such has urine tract infections, or fever episodes lasting over 38 ℃ over 2 days

    Time frame: Number of other infections or fever episodes that occur between the first and 30th postoperative day after hysterectomy.

07

Study locations

6 of 6 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 22, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05337566
Collaborators
University of Turku, Tampere University Hospital, Kuopio University Hospital, Oulu University Hospital, Jyväskylä Central Hospital
Responsible party
Päivi Rahkola-Soisalo (Adjuct professor, M.D., Helsinki University Central Hospital) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 20, 2022
Start date
Sep 5, 2022
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2030 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 22, 2026

Study contacts

Päivi K Rahkola-Soisalo, Adj prof,MD
Contact
paivi.rahkola-soisalo@hus.fi
+358504270411
Ninja Savonius, MD
Contact
ninja.savonius@hus.fi
+358503466986
Päivi Rahkola-Soisalo, Adj prof, MD
principal investigator · Helsinki University Central Hospital
Tomi Mikkola, Prof, MD
study chair · Helsinki University Central Hospital
Päivi Rahkola-Soisalo, Adj prof, MD
study director · Helsinki University Central Hospital

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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