cefepime and Abdominal-Abscess

The safety and efficacy of cefepime empiric monotherapy compared with standard broad-spectrum combination therapy for hospitalized adult patients with moderate to severe community-acquired bacterial infections were evaluated. In an open-label, multicenter study, 317 patients with an Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) score ranging from >5 to =19 were enrolled with documented pneumonia (n=196), urinary tract infection (n=65), intra-abdominal infection (n=38), or sepsis (n=18). Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive cefepime 1 to 2 g IV twice daily or three times a day or IV ampicillin, cephalothin, or ceftriaxone +/-aminoglycoside therapy for 3 to 21 days. For both treatment groups, metronidazole, vancomycin, or macrolide therapy was added as deemed necessary. The primary efficacy variable was clinical response at the end of therapy. Two hundred ninety-six (93%) patients met evaluation criteria and were included in the efficacy analysis. Diagnoses included the following: 180 pneumonias (90 cefepime, 90 comparator), 62 urinary tract infections (29 cefepime, 33 comparator), 37 intra-abdominal infections (19 cefepime, 18 comparator), and 17 sepses (8 cefepime, 9 comparator). At the end of therapy, overall clinical success rates were 131/146 (90%) for patients treated with cefepime vs 125/150 (83%) for those treated with comparator (95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.6% to 16.3%). The clinical success rate for patients with community-acquired pneumonia, the most frequent infection, was 86% for both treatment groups. Among the patients clinically evaluated, 162 pathogens were isolated and identified before therapy. The most commonly isolated pathogens were Escherichia coli (n=49), Streptococcus pneumoniae (n=29), Haemophilus influenzae (n=14), and Staphylococcus aureus (n=11). Bacteriologic eradication/presumed eradication was 97% for cefepime vs 94% for comparator-treated patients. Drug-related adverse events were reported in 16% of cefepime patients and 19% of comparator patients. In conclusion, cefepime had higher cure rates compared with broad-spectrum combination therapy as an initial empiric treatment for hospitalized patients with moderate to severe community-acquired infections, including urinary tract infections, intra-abdominal infections, and sepsis.

Topics: Abdominal Abscess; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cefepime; Cephalosporins; Community-Acquired Infections; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Peritonitis; Pneumonia, Bacterial; Prospective Studies; Sepsis; Severity of Illness Index; South America; Treatment Outcome; Urinary Tract Infections

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of cefepime hydrochloride plus metronidazole vs the combination of imipenem and cilastatin sodium in the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections in adult patients.. Prospective, randomized, double-blind multicenter study.. University-affiliated hospitals in the United States and Canada.. Three hundred twenty-three patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections in whom an operative procedure or percutaneous drainage was required for diagnosis and management.. Cefepime, 2 g, was administered intravenously every 12 hours (n= 164) in addition to metronidazole, 500 mg (or 7.5 mg/kg) intravenously every 6 hours. Imipenen-cilastatin sodium, 500 mg, was administered intravenously every 6 hours (n= 159). Surgical infection management was determined by the patients' surgeons. MAIN OUTCOME ASSESSMENTS: Clinical cure, defined as elimination of all signs and symptoms relevant to the original infection; and treatment failure, defined as persistence, increase or worsening of signs and symptoms resulting in an antibiotic change, requirement of an additional surgical procedure to cure the infection, or a wound infection with fever.. Of the initial isolates, 84% were susceptible to cefepime and 92% were susceptible to imipenem-cilastatin. Among the 217 protocol-valid patients, those treated with cefepime+metronidizole were deemed clinical cures (88%) more frequently than were imipenem-cilastatin-treated patients (76%) (P=.02). Using multivariate analysis to adjust for identified clinical risk factors for an adverse outcome (severity of presenting illness, isolation of enterococcus, type of infection, and duration of prestudy hospitalization), there was a trend (P=.06) toward a higher cure rate favoring cefepime+metronidazole. Pathogens were eradicated in significantly (P=.01) more patients treated with combined cefepime and metronidazole (89%) than with imipenem-cilastatin (76%).. The combination of cefepime plus metronidazole is safe and effective therapy for patients with severe intra-abdominal infections.

Topics: Abdomen; Abdominal Abscess; Adult; Aged; Antitrichomonal Agents; Appendicitis; Cefepime; Cephalosporins; Cilastatin; Double-Blind Method; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Imipenem; Infections; Male; Metronidazole; Middle Aged; Peritonitis; Treatment Outcome

Appropriate antibiotic therapy and prompt drainage are essential for optimal results with abdominal abscesses.. In this prospective study, 47 abdominal abscesses from 42 patients over 2 years who had percutaneous drainage were evaluated. Antibiotic concentrations were evaluated from the abscess fluid and correlated with clinical and microbiologic cure.. Only 23% of patients had appropriate antibiotic selection with optimal concentrations for the bacteria recovered. Piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, and metronidazole provided adequate concentrations in all except the largest abscesses, whereas fluconazole required higher doses in all abscesses. Vancomycin and ciprofloxacin levels were inadequate in most abscesses. With gram-negative aerobes, the use of appropriate antibiotics resulted in a relatively higher incidence of presumed eradication (100% [4 of 4] vs 75% [9 of 12], P = .26). With ≥ 3 organisms identified, clinical failure was significant (58% vs 13%, P = .01).. For optimal treatment, abdominal abscesses require prompt drainage and properly selected antibiotics at adequate doses. Essential information can be obtained from abscess cultures and their antibiotic concentrations.

Topics: Abdominal Abscess; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cefepime; Cephalosporins; Ciprofloxacin; Exudates and Transudates; Female; Fluconazole; Humans; Male; Metronidazole; Middle Aged; Penicillanic Acid; Piperacillin; Piperacillin, Tazobactam Drug Combination; Prospective Studies; Suction; Treatment Outcome; Vancomycin

The in vivo activities of piperacillin-tazobactam and cefepime were compared with those of ticarcillin-clavulanate, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, and imipenem in a rat model of intra-abdominal abscess with a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae elaborating an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (TEM-26). With the exception of ceftazidime, all of the antimicrobial agents significantly reduced bacterial counts within abscesses at the end of therapy compared with those in untreated controls. Residual viable cell counts (mean +/- standard deviation in log10 CFU/gram) were as follows: control, 8.76 +/- 0.97; ceftazidime, 8.00 +/- 0.76; piperacillin-tazobactam, 3.87 +/- 1.72; ticarcillin-clavulanate, 3.74 +/- 1.34; cefepime, 3.15 +/- 1.19; cefotaxime, 2.61 +/- 0.77; imipenem, 2.41 +/- 0.93. Imipenem was more effective than either of the inhibitor combinations (P < 0.05). Cefotaxime was unexpectedly effective given its poor in vivo activity against this organism in our earlier studies, which used a different dose and total duration of therapy (L. B. Rice, J. D. C. Yao, K. Klimm, G. M. Eliopoulos, and R. C. Moellering, Jr., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 35:1243-1244, 1991). These observations suggest that the effectiveness of cephalosporins in the treatment of experimental infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniae may be highly dependent on dosing regimens, even for a specific organism and site of infection.

Topics: Abdominal Abscess; Animals; beta-Lactamases; Cefepime; Cephalosporins; Drug Therapy, Combination; Enzyme Inhibitors; Klebsiella Infections; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Penicillanic Acid; Piperacillin; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Tazobactam