Concentrations of oral lomefloxacin in serum and bronchial mucosa

The bronchial mucosal concentrations of lomefloxacin were determined for specimens obtained by fiber-optic bronchoscopy and compared with simultaneous concentrations in serum. The 23 patients studied were given an oral dose of 400 mg once daily for 4 days to achieve steady-state levels. The median concentration in serum was 2.5 micrograms/ml (range, 1.0 to 5 micrograms/ml), and the median bronchial mucosal concentration was 5.0 micrograms/g (range, 0.7 to 18.6 micrograms/g). The median percent penetration was 177% (range, 69 to 541%). The concentrations in serum and mucosa exceeded the MIC for 90% of strains of organisms causing bronchial infections but not sufficiently to recommend lomefloxacin for the routine treatment of pneumococcal infections.