[Penetration of cefmenoxime into pleural fluid]

Single doses of cefmenoxime (CMX), 1 g intravenous drip infusion, were administrated to 5 patients with pleural effusion. The study group consisted of 3 men and 2 women, aged 38 to 69 years (mean 54.8 years); 4 had carcinoma with pleural effusion and 1 had SLE. Pleural fluid and serum samples were taken at intervals 1 to 24 hours for determination of CMX levels. The following results were obtained: Intravenous drip infusion of 1 g CMX yielded a peak pleural concentration of 4.5 micrograms/ml after 2 hours and pleural levels over 3 micrograms/ml were maintained for 5.5 hours after intravenous drip administration. Ratio maximum pleural concentration to peak serum level reached 15.0 +/- 8.3% at 2 hours after intravenous drip administration.