Therapy of soft tissue infections with piperacillin/tazobactam

The efficacy and safety of piperacillin in combination with the beta-lactamase inhibitor tazobactam were assessed in an open, multi-centre study of hospitalized patients with skin and soft tissue infections. A total of 136 patients from four countries were treated with piperacillin 4 g plus tazobactam 500 mg every 8 h. The mean duration of treatment was eight days. Clinical and bacteriological evaluations were performed one to three days and ten to 14 days post-therapy, respectively. Among 120 evaluable patients 93% were clinically cured or improved; 91% of bacteriologically evaluable patients were cured or improved. Eradication of the pathogens was observed in 85% and 95% of the evaluable patients at first and second follow-up. In 43% of the patients more than one pathogen was isolated from the wound. Persistence was commonest in patients in whom a complete surgical debridement could not be carried out. There were adverse events in 16 of the 136 patients, most commonly allergic reactions and diarrhoea. Six patients were withdrawn from the study because of side-effects.