LETTERS

Ampicillin dosage questioned

In “Preventing group B strep” [April] by Teresa Marino, MD, and Curtis Cetrulo, MD, the dosage listed for ampicillin is “2 g intravenously every 4 hours.” However, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines recommend 2 g initially, followed by 1 g every 4 hours. Is this an error on the authors’ part or a change in the recommendation?

In addition, we also have several physicians at our hospital who start prophylaxis treatment at 12 to 18 hours after ruptured membranes, even if the screening culture at 35 to 37 weeks’ gestation is negative. Isn’t this defeating the purpose of a screening culture?