title: The antimicrobial activity of imipenem/cilastatin and its treatment in critical ill patients with polymicrobial and mixed infection.
abstract: The antimicrobial activity of imipenem/cilastatin (IPM/CS) was determined for a broad spectrum of 7,157 organisms isolated from the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, between April 1 and June 30, 1988. Ninety eight point one percent of 4,389 gram negative aerobes, 95.8% of 2391 gram positive rods, and 95.9% of 507 anaerobes, were shown to be sensitive to IPM/CS. Ninety nine point two percent of 837 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were sensitive to this antibiotic. This study also disclosed that this agent was much more active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa than any other tested aminoglycosides (gentamicin, amikacin, netilmicin) or third generation cephalosporins (cefotaxime, latamoxef, ceftazidime). Twelve critically ill patients with polymicrobial and mixed infection were recruited into this trial. All patients received IPM/CS 500 mg intravenously every six hours except one patient with poor renal function had 250 mg every six hours. The average duration of therapy was 12.5 days. All patients were evaluated according to the selection criteria. IPM/CS achieved favorable clinical response in 83.7 percent. The antibiotic was well tolerated. One patient discontinued treatment because of jaundice. One patient had superinfection of fungemia. The results suggested that IPM/CS is very useful in the treatment of patients with mixed infections due to gram positive, gram negative, and anaerobic bacteriae, even when empirical therapy with other antibiotics fails.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Leu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015377:Cilastatin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077728:Cilastatin, Imipenem Drug Combination; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015378:Imipenem / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004338:Drug Combinations; D015377:Cilastatin; D015378:Imipenem; D000077728:Cilastatin, Imipenem Drug Combination