title: Efficacy and safety of piperacillin/tazobactam in skin and soft tissue infections.
abstract: Piperacillin/tazobactam has excellent in vitro activity against the most pathogens involved in skin infections. Two large multicentre studies recently evaluated the efficacy and safety of piperacillin/tazobactam in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections in patients in hospital. The efficacy and safety of piperacillin/tazobactam (4 g/500 mg every 8 hours) have been assessed in an open study in Europe. Among 120 evaluable patients, 93% were clinically cured or improved. Only six patients were withdrawn from the study because of side effects. In another trial, piperacillin/tazobactam were compared with ticarcillin/clavulanate in a double-blinded prospective study in the United States. Of evaluable patients, 67 received piperacillin/tazobactam (3 g/375 mg every 6 hours) and 44 received ticarcillin/clavulanate (3 g/100 mg every 6 hours). At assessment, 76% of patients given piperacillin/tazobactam and 77% of patients given ticarcillin/clavulanate had responded favourably. The lower success rate in this trial may be attributed to more stringent inclusion criteria that resulted in the incorporation of a higher proportion of patients with more severe conditions including diabetic/ischaemic foot infections. The incidence of adverse reactions was similar in both groups. Piperacillin/tazobactam seems to be both effective and safe in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections in patients confined to hospital.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Akron City Hospital, Ohio.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: File
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D019818:Clavulanic Acid; D002969:Clavulanic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D010397:Penicillanic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010878:Piperacillin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D000078142:Tazobactam; D013982:Ticarcillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D065093:beta-Lactamase Inhibitors
chemical_list: D002969:Clavulanic Acids; D065093:beta-Lactamase Inhibitors; D019818:Clavulanic Acid; D010397:Penicillanic Acid; D013982:Ticarcillin; D000078142:Tazobactam; D010878:Piperacillin