Use of pharmacodynamic concepts in developing a cost-effective dosing method for piperacillin.
Because they were almost always used in combination with an aminoglycoside, piperacillin and mezlocillin were considered therapeutic alternatives at Hartford Hospital, a 900-bed teaching facility. To determine an appropriate comparative dose, the bactericidal activities of 5 gm of mezlocillin and 4 gm and 3 gm of piperacillin were compared. The results demonstrated that 4 gm of piperacillin possessed stronger bactericidal activity than either 3 gm of piperacillin or 5 gm of mezlocillin. Hartford Hospital has since approved an antibiotic management program using 4 gm of piperacillin every 8 hours, thereby reducing the daily cost of antibiotic therapy. The modified program offers the hospital measurable cost savings without jeopardizing the quality of care.
Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology/Allergy, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut.
R
R
Quintiliani
C H
CH
Nightingale
M C
MC
Sullivan
D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D008802:Mezlocillin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010878:Piperacillin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects
D008802:Mezlocillin; D010878:Piperacillin