title: Ceftriaxone once daily compared with four daily doses of cefotaxime in the treatment of severe gram-negative septicemia or pyemia: a randomized study.
abstract: In a randomized comparative study, adult patients suffering from Gram-negative septicemia or pyemia were treated either with a single daily dose of 1.5g of ceftriaxone in most patients or 6g of cefotaxime divided into four daily doses. K. pneumoniae and E. coli were commonly isolated in both groups. Altogether 17 patients treated with ceftriaxone and 14 with cefotaxime completed the treatment with a success rate of 88.2% and 85.6% respectively. There were two deaths in patients treated with ceftriaxone (12%) and one with cefotaxime (7.2%). Despite the severity of the disease, antibiotic treatment was relatively short: 7 patients (41%) were treated with ceftriaxone for only 7 days, 2 with cefotaxime for 7 days, 5 for 10 days. Others were treated for a longer period with a maximum duration of 22 days. This study confirms in Asian patients the previous reports that a single daily dose of ceftriaxone is as efficacious as four daily doses with cefotaxime in treating patients with severe infections.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Leu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lasserre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002439:Cefotaxime / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002443:Ceftriaxone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013492:Suppuration
chemical_list: D002443:Ceftriaxone; D002439:Cefotaxime