Efficacy of Penicillin Prophylaxis
1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, School of Medicine, Box 391 Mayo Memorial Building, 13-107 Phillips-Wangensteen Building, 516 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
To the Editor.
I read with interest the article by Hess and colleagues.1 The objectives of that study, to determine the incidence of postextraction bacteremia and to evaluate the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis, are worthy although not novel.
The authors point out, in assessing the "efficacy of penicillin prophylaxis as recommended by the American Heart Association to prevent the onset of bacterial endocarditis," that "the results of our study indicate that transient postextraction bacteremia can occur in patients receiving parenteral penicillin prophylaxis recommended by the American Heart Association."




