[A clinical study on ceftazidime in the treatment of intractable respiratory infections]

Ceftazidime (CAZ) was administered to 51 patients (37 males, 14 females) with respiratory infections including severe cases, accompanied by various underlying respiratory diseases. The clinical efficacy and side effects of CAZ were investigated. The mean age and body weight of these 51 cases were 62.6 years and 48.0 kg, respectively. CAZ was administered by intravenous drip infusion (daily dose of 2-4 g) for a mean of 14.7 days to a mean total dose of 56.7 g. Clinical efficacy rates were 64% (18 of 28 cases), 80% (16 of 20 cases) and 67% (2 of 3 cases) for airway and intermediary regional infections, pneumonia (including lung abscess) and pyothorax, respectively. In the bacteriological study, efficacy rates and bacterial eradication rates were 69% and 67%, 33% and 20%, 100% and 100%, and 100% and 100% for infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13 cases), Staphylococcus aureus (6 cases), Streptococcus pneumoniae (6 cases) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (4 cases), respectively, and bacterial eradication was achieved in both of 2 cases of Peptostreptococcus anaerobius and 2 cases of Haemophilus influenzae, and 1 case each of Peptococcus sp., Fusobacterium necrophorum and Serratia marcescens. Side effects observed were eruption in 1 case (2%) and elevated GOT, GPT and Al-P values in 1 case (2%), but these cases tended to recover after CAZ treatment was discontinued.