Military Medicine. 168. 11:911. 2003
Care of casualties in the tactical combat environment should include the use of prophylactic antibiotics for all open wounds. This article recommends that oral gatifloxacin should be the antibiotic of choice because of its ease of carriage and administration, excellent spectrum of action and relatively mild side effect profile. Moxifloxacin and gatifloxacinare both fourth-generation fluoroquinolones that have an enhanced spectrum of activity and are given as a single daily 400-mg dose. Based on their similarities, eithermoxifloxacin or gatifloxacin would be a good choice for an oral antibiotic to use on the battlefield. Since gatifloxacin was removed from the market by the FDA in 2008, moxifloxacin is the oral antibiotic of choice for battlefield casualties with open wounds.
For those casualties unable to take oral antibiotics because of unconsciousness, penetrating abdominal trauma, or shock, intravenous cefotetan is recommended because of its longer duration of action than cefoxitin. Whereas cefoxitin and cefotetan appear to be equal in efficacy, the longer half-life and comparable cost make cefotetan a better choice for use by combat corpsmen and medics. Cefoxitin remains a viable alternative and a good second choice.