[Clinical study on meropenem in pediatric field]

We studied clinical effects of meropenem (MEPM, SM-7338), a newly developed parenteral carbapenem beta-lactam drug, and following results were obtained. The patients were administered with 16-20 mg/kg of MEPM every 8 hours using 1 hour drip infusion. 1. Clinical effects of MEPM were studied in 10 children with various infectious diseases: 1 with acute bronchitis, and 2 each with acute tonsillitis, acute bronchopneumonia, acute pneumonia, acute urinary infection, and 1 with pertussis pneumonia. The case of pertussis pneumonia later developed bronchiolitis obliterans, hence a steroid and gamma-globulin were used. This case was excluded from the clinical evaluation. The efficacy rate was 100% (9/9), and the bacteriological eradication rate was 100% (6/6). 2. No side effects were noted. Clinical laboratory test values were investigated in 10 patients. There was a case of abnormal laboratory test findings with mild elevations of liver functions such as GOT, GPT, and gamma-GTP. These abnormalities disappeared in 1 week after the end of therapy.