Clinical evaluation of the imipenem/cilastatin combination in the therapy of severe infections in patients with malignant diseases.
Thirty hospitalized patients (23 men and 7 women), aged 42 to 78 years, with impaired host defences for malignant underlying diseases and affected by life-threatening infections, were treated with the imipenem/cilastatin combination at a dosage ranging between 2 and 4 g daily i.v. at 8 or 12 h intervals. The average length of therapy was 9.6 +/- 2.09 days. The isolated organisms were as follows: Pseudomonas aeruginosa [12], Escherichia coli [10], Klebsiella pneumoniae [5], Proteus mirabilis [3], P. vulgaris [2], Serratia marcescens [1], Staphylococcus aureus [3], Streptococcus faecalis [3], Bacteroides fragilis [5]. In fourteen patients a mixed infection was observed. Twenty-three patients (76.66%) were completely cured of infection and 35 out of 44 isolated organisms (79.54%) were eradicated. No important side-effects were observed.
Cristiano
P
P
Institute of Internal Medicine, 1st Medical School, University of Naples, Italy.
Iovene
M R
MR
Simioli
F
F
Pezza
M
M
Raucci
G
G
Lobello
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015377:Cilastatin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015378:Imipenem / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*
D015377:Cilastatin; D015378:Imipenem