cefotaxime and Tuberculosis--Pulmonary

Fifty-eight consecutive patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia were studied prospectively during a three-year period. The group included 44 men and 14 women (mean age: 45.0 +/- 15.7 years). The cause of pneumonia was diagnosed in 35 (60.3 percent) cases, and the most common pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (37.1 percent), Legionella pneumophila (22.8 percent) and Gram-negative bacilli (11.4 percent). The fact that Mycobacterium tuberculosis was present in four (11.4 percent) patients and Pneumocystis carinii in three (8.5 percent) is worthy of note. The overall death rate was 22.4 percent. More than 50 percent of deaths occurred within the first five days and were caused by septic shock, hemoptysis (tuberculosis) or hypoxia. However, hypoxia remains the main fatal complication and all late-occurring deaths (> 5 days) observed were due to this cause. These data could be important in planning strategies and protocols to improve prognosis.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bacteremia; Cefotaxime; Critical Care; Erythromycin; Female; Humans; Legionnaires' Disease; Length of Stay; Male; Middle Aged; Pneumonia; Pneumonia, Pneumococcal; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Seven patients who were performed thoracotomy for the disease of the chest, were administered cefotiam dihydrochloride 2.0 g for about an hour by intravenous drip infusion during their operation. Antibiotic levels of serum and intrathoracic tissues (a piece of lung parenchyma, parietal pleura, pulmonary hilar lymph node, chest wall muscle, pulmonary cyst and nerve) were determined, and an evaluation of bactericidal effect was discussed. In this study, we found that antibiotic level of poor blood supplied lung, so called the destroyed lung was remarkably high. This means that a high concentration of cefotiam dihydrochloride to intrathoracic tissue is effective against postoperative infection.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cefotaxime; Cefotiam; Female; Humans; Lung; Lung Neoplasms; Male; Middle Aged; Premedication; Surgical Wound Infection; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary