Treatment of endotoxemia with low-dose intramuscular injections or oral administration of polymyxin B.
Thirty patients with sepsis received 50,000 U of polymyxin B intramuscularly per day (n = 22) or 3 million U orally per day (n = 8). Plasma endotoxin levels were measured by the Endospecy test after treating the plasma with a new perchloric acid method. Plasma endotoxin levels were reduced to normal values (less than 9.8 pg/ml) in all the injected patients within two days and in all the orally treated patients within three days. Clinical symptoms were also ameliorated. No treatment side effects were reported. It is concluded that polymyxin B is a safe and effective treatment against endotoxemia.
Endo
S
S
Critical Care and Emergency Center, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan.
Inada
K
K
Inoue
Y
Y
Fujii
N
N
Yamada
Y
Y
Takakuwa
T
T
Kasai
T
T
Terashima
M
M
Hoshi
S
S
Yoshida
M
M
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000097:blood*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008875:Middle Aged; D011112:Polymyxin B / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014115:Toxemia / Q000188:drug therapy*
D004731:Endotoxins; D011112:Polymyxin B