Treatment of penetrating abdominal trauma and gynecologic infections

Both penetrating abdominal trauma and gynecologic infections are polymicrobial and require antibiotics with broad-spectrum activity against both aerobic and anaerobic pathogens. In an open study, ticarcillin disodium/clavulanate potassium was used to treat patients with penetrating abdominal trauma, intraabdominal infection or gynecologic infection. Ticarcillin disodium/clavulanate potassium was administered at a dose of 3.1 g every four or every six hours, and therapy lasted for a minimum of three days. Among 20 patients with intraabdominal infections that involved abdominal organ perforation, ticarcillin disodium/clavulanate potassium was effective in 16. Eighteen of 19 aerobic isolates were susceptible to ticarcillin disodium/clavulanate potassium, as were all of 21 anaerobic isolates. Fifteen of 21 evaluable patients with gynecologic infections were cured. Among the infections were pelvic inflammatory disease, salpingitis, salpingitis with tuboovarian abscess, pelvic inflammatory disease with tuboovarian abscess, salpingitis/pelvic inflammatory disease and peritonitis, endomyometritis, cervicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease with peritonitis. A total of 32 aerobic and 15 anaerobic organisms were isolated, and 14 of the patients had more than one organism isolated.