cefotaxime and Thoracic-Diseases

Ceftriaxone is a new, third-generation cephalosporin that, because of its long half-life, offers potential advantages of cost and convenience over similar agents such as cefotaxime. We compared the two drugs in a prospective, randomized study of the treatment of chest infections in seriously ill patients. Fifty-one patients (90 percent of whom were mechanically ventilated) received either ceftriaxone, 2g IV once daily, or cefotaxime, 2 g IV thrice daily, for five days. The two groups of patients appeared demographically comparable. Ceftriaxone in a single daily dose of 2 g once daily may not be satisfactory for the treatment of serious chest infections.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Bacterial Infections; Cefotaxime; Ceftriaxone; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Severity of Illness Index; Thoracic Diseases