A practical look at the clinical usefulness of the beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations.
OBJECTIVE
To aid clinicians in developing an approach to the use of intravenous beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors on a patient-specific basis. To achieve this, the pharmacology, in vitro activity, and clinical use of the intravenous beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations in the treatment of selected infections seen in hospitalized patients are discussed.


METHODS
An English-language literature search using MEDLINE (1987-1995); Index Medicus (1987-1995); program and abstracts of the 32nd (1992), 33rd (1993), 34th (1994), and 35th (1995) Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; bibliographic reviews of review articles; and package inserts.


METHODS
In vitro and in vivo studies on the pharmacokinetics, microbiology, pharmacology, and clinical effectiveness of ampicillin/sulbactam, ticarcillin/clavulanate, and piperacillin/tazobactam were evaluated.


RESULTS
Many properties of the beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations are similar. Differences in dosing, susceptibilities, and clinical applications are important considerations for clinicians. Potential roles for these agents in the clinical setting include pneumonia, intraabdominal infections, and soft tissue infections. A short discussion on susceptibility data interpretation is also presented.


CONCLUSIONS
There are important differences among the available beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations, such as spectra of activity, which need to be considered in choosing an agent for a patient-specific case. These products can be useful alternatives to conventional two- to three-drug regimens in mixed infections such as foot infections in patients with diabetes and hospital-acquired intraabdominal infections.
Hart
S M
SM
Department of Pharmacy Services, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
Bailey
E M
EM
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D065093:beta-Lactamase Inhibitors; D047090:beta-Lactams
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D065093:beta-Lactamase Inhibitors; D047090:beta-Lactams