Enoxacin in lower respiratory tract infections

In this open, non-comparative study 45 lower respiratory tract infections were treated with the new 4-quinolone, enoxacin. Special attention was paid to infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Pseudomonas infections were treated with 600 mg bd. whereas infections caused by other bacteria were treated with 400 mg enoxacin bd. In 43 cases efficacy could be assessed. In six out of 23 cases Pseudomonas spp. were eradicated from the sputum. In 12 of the remaining 17 cases a clear reduction in bacterial numbers and a decrease of sputum volume and purulence were obtained. Clinical improvement or cure was obtained in 20 out of the 23 cases. Most of the causative microorganisms in the other infections were eradicated. In two patients Staphylococcus aureus persisted. Overgrowth with streptococci occurred in three patients. Adverse reactions were frequent and occurred in 29 out of 45 treatment periods. They were mainly related to the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. In 25 out of 30 patients on concomitant treatment with theophylline an elevation of plasma theophylline concentrations occurred. Twelve of these patients developed signs and symptoms possibly related to theophylline toxicity. After treatment with enoxacin the MICs of most persisting Pseudomonas strains were two to four times higher than pre-treatment values.     

Cefotiam therapy of lower respiratory tract infections.

Cefotiam, a new cephalosporin, was evaluated in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections in 29 patients. The bacteria isolated from the sputum of these patients included Streptococcus pneumoniae (31%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (31%), and Haemophilus influenzae (28%). Satisfactory response was observed in 90% of the patients. There were three treatment failures, two superinfections, and four colonizations with gram-negative organisms resistant to the drug. Superficial phlebitis was noted in two patients. The results of this study suggest that cefotiam is an effective and well-tolerated antibiotic for the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections due to susceptible organisms.     

Treatment of lower respiratory tract infections with cefoperazone

Fifteen patients with documented bacterial lower respiratory tract infections were treated with cefoperazone (2 gm every 12 hours, administered parenterally) as the single antibiotic therapy. Pulmonary infections included pneumonia (10), anaerobic lung abscess (2), bronchitis (2), and exacerbation of bronchiectasis (1); most of the patients had concomitant illnesses that compromised their host-immune status. Bacteria recovered from respiratory tract cultures included aerobic gram-negative bacilli (17), anaerobes (6), and aerobic gram-positive cocci (3). After therapy, lasting 5 to 28 days, nine patients had complete resolution of their infection, and the remaining six patients had significant clinical improvement. Diarrhea was the adverse reaction most commonly noted; others included an unusual reaction resembling serum sickness, and, in one patient treated for 24 days, hypotension and a subsequent decrease in renal function. Drug-related abnormalities in blood and serum values were few and mild. Cefoperazone was found to be effective in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections.     

Effective management of lower respiratory tract infections in childhood

This article summarises the five most common lower respiratory tract infections seen in acute care, guiding the nurse in assessment and early recognition of signs of deterioration. A discussion on each condition is provided along with guidance on prevention, advice for parents and on managing patients. This article is intended for students or newly qualified children's nurses, however, it can also serve as a refresher for all professionals working with children.     

Pharmacodynamics of fluoroquinolones against Streptococcus pneumoniae in patients with community-acquired respiratory tract infections

Fluoroquinolone antibiotic agents have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of respiratory tract infections. This analysis was designed to examine the relationship between drug exposure, as measured by the free-drug area under the concentration-time curve at 24 h (AUC(24))/MIC ratio, and clinical and microbiological responses in patients with community-acquired respiratory tract infections involving Streptococcus pneumoniae. The study population included 58 adult patients (34 males, 24 females) who were enrolled in either of two phase III, randomized, multicenter, double-blind studies of levofloxacin versus gatifloxacin for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia or acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. Clearance equations from previously published population pharmacokinetic models were used in conjunction with dose and adjusted for protein binding to estimate individual patient free-drug AUC(24)s. In vitro susceptibility was determined in a central laboratory by broth microdilution in accordance with NCCLS guidelines. Pharmacodynamic analyses were performed on data from all evaluable patients with documented S. pneumoniae infection using univariate and multivariable logistic regression; pharmacodynamic breakpoints were estimated using Classification and Regression Tree analysis. A statistically significant (P = 0.013) relationship between microbiological response and the free-drug AUC(24)/MIC ratio was detected. At a free-drug AUC(24)/MIC ratio of <33.7, the probability of a microbiological response was 64%, and at a free-drug AUC(24)/MIC ratio of >33.7, it was 100% (P < 0.01). These findings may provide a minimum target free-drug AUC(24)/MIC ratio for the treatment of infections involving S. pneumoniae with fluoroquinolone antibiotics and provide a paradigm for the selection of fluoroquinolones to be brought forward from drug discovery into clinical development and dose selection for clinical trials. Further, when target free-drug AUC(24)/MIC ratios are used in conjunction with stochastic modeling techniques, these findings may be used to support susceptibility breakpoints for fluoroquinolone antibiotics and S. pneumoniae.     

下呼吸道医院感染回顾性调查分析与预防措施

目的　了解住院患者下呼吸道医院感染的发生率及相关因素。方法　采用回顾法,对全院2001年1月～2002年12月 间33471例出院病例进行调查。结果　发生医院感染1359例,总感染率4.06%,其中下呼吸道感染399例,占感染总例数 的29.36%,检出致病菌59株,其中以革兰氏阴性杆菌为主,占54.24%,革兰氏阳性球菌占27.12%,真菌占18.64%。 结论　应采取有效预防措施,切实降低下呼吸道感染。     

Therapy of lower respiratory tract infections with moxalactam.

Moxalactam was evaluated in the therapy of lower respiratory tract infections in 40 patients. The most common organisms isolated were Streptococcus pneumoniae (37.2%) and Haemophilus influenzae (21.5%). Gram-negative enteric organisms were isolated from six patients. No patient was evaluated as a treatment failure; however, two patients died of unrelated causes either during therapy or in the immediate posttherapy period. We determined the comparative minimal inhibitory concentrations of moxalactam, cefamandole, and cephalothin for our aerobic clinical isolates. Susceptibilities of the anaerobic isolates were measured by the Kirby-Bauer method. All isolates were susceptible to moxalactam. Moxalactam was found to be highly effective in the therapy of lower respiratory tract infections.     

Role of closed aspiration systems in the prevention of lower respiratory tract infections during artificial ventilation

Two large intensive care centers performed a prospective controlled, randomized study evaluating the efficiency of closed aspiration systems in the prevention of lower respiratory tract infections during sustained artificial ventilation. Analysis of the results of the study has ascertained that the closed aspiration systems make it possible to attenuate a colonization process and further lower respiratory tract infection, by statistically significantly reducing the risk of tracheobronchitis and pneumonia.     

儿童急性下呼吸道细菌感染的病原分析

目的了解本地小儿急性下呼吸道感染的细菌病原学流行特点,流感嗜血杆菌疫苗的接种情况,为临床合理使用抗生素治疗及预防下呼吸道感染提供依据。方法收集2010年5月至2012年4月诊断为小儿急性下呼吸道感染的儿科住院患儿鼻咽抽吸物标本203份,做普通细菌、真菌培养及药敏和耐药性检测;同时做流感嗜血杆菌疫苗的接种情况调查。结果 203份标本中检出致病菌171份,总检出率84.24%,其中革兰阴性菌检出率为69.95%(142/203),革兰阳性菌检出率11.82%(24/203)。≤1岁组、～3岁组和﹥3岁组的致病菌检出率分别为94.56%(139/147)、69.23%(18/26)和46.67%(14/30),致病菌的检出率在各年龄组之间差异有统计学意义(χ2=12.52,P=0.028),3岁以内以革兰阴性菌为主。绝大部分的革兰阴性菌只对头孢三代敏感,革兰阳性菌只对万古霉素敏感。同期住院儿童流感嗜血杆菌疫苗的接种率为23.65%。结论小儿急性下呼吸道感染致病菌已由过去的革兰阳性菌为主逐渐转变为革兰阴性菌为主,年龄小的儿童急性下呼吸道感染以革兰阴性菌为主,应该加强对流感嗜血杆菌疫苗接种的宣教,提高流感嗜血杆菌疫苗和肺炎球菌结合疫苗的接种率。     

Pefloxacin in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections in geriatrics

Pefloxacin was administered to 24 geriatric patients as treatment for lower respiratory tract infections contracted in hospital. Efficacy was evaluated by clinical, bacteriological and radiological parameters. Two-thirds of the patients responded well to therapy. Only two of 30 pathogens were not eradicated, but seven patients had superinfection or colonization by another organism. Tolerance was excellent, with only slight gastro-intestinal disorders. Pefloxacin was shown to be an effective and safe therapy for lower respiratory tract infections contracted in hospital in elderly patients.     

Efficacy of twice-daily amoxycillin/clavulanate in lower respiratory tract infections

In this double-blind, double-dummy study, 324 patients with clinical evidence of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) or an acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis were randomly assigned to receive 10 days' treatment with either amoxycillin/clavulanate 875/125 mg twice daily or amoxycillin/clavulanate 500/125 mg three times daily. At the end of therapy, clinical success rates were 92.4% for the twice daily regimen and 94.2% for the three times daily regimen. There was no statistically significant difference between treatments (p = 0.647) and the 95% confidence interval around the treatment difference indicated that the two treatments were equivalent. Treatment equivalence was also confirmed at follow-up, four weeks after the end of treatment. Both regimens were well tolerated. In conclusion, amoxycillin/clavulanate 875/125 mg twice daily is as effective as amoxycillin/clavulanate 500/125 mg three times daily for the treatment of community-acquired lower respiratory tract infections and could improve patient compliance.     

Clinical pharmacodynamics of meropenem in patients with lower respiratory tract infections

Studies of beta-lactam pharmacodynamics in infected patients are sparse. In this study, classification and regression tree (CART) and logistic regression analyses were used to identify which pharmacodynamic indices and magnitudes were significant predictors of meropenem efficacy for 101 adult patients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). Using demographic data, a validated population pharmacokinetic model was employed to predict pharmacokinetic parameters and free serum concentrations in the studied patients. Pharmacodynamic indices [percentage of the dosing interval that free drug concentrations remain above the MIC (% fT > MIC), f(maximum concentration of drug in serum) (fC(max))/MIC, fC(min)/MIC, and f(area under the concentration-time curve) (fAUC)/MIC] were calculated based on the baseline pathogen with the highest drug MIC for each patient. The median (range) of percent fT > MIC, fC(max)/MIC, fC(min)/MIC, and fAUC/MIC were 100% (0 to 100%), 728.8 (0.8 to 15,777), 19.9 (0.01 to 278), and 3,605.4 (2.7 to 60,865.9), respectively. CART identified the following breakpoints as significant predictors for microbiological response: >54% fT > MIC, a fC(max)/MIC > 383, and a fC(min)/MIC > 5; fC(min)/MIC > 5 was the only significant predictor of clinical response. Due to 100% fT > MIC achieved in the majority of LRTI patients, fC(min)/MIC was the statistically significant parameter associated with meropenem clinical and microbiological response in the adults with LRTI. The findings for LRTI patients can be applied to optimize meropenem dose regimens to achieve clinical success and microbiological eradication in clinical practice.     

上海市下呼吸道医院感染的回顾性队列研究

目的：了解上海地区下呼吸道医院感染的确切发生率、常见危险因素与经济损失等监测数据。方法：采用回顾性队列研究方法。从55所核定床位在400张以上的医院中，抽出18所综合性医院，组织近40名防治医院感染专业人员对1999年10月份出院病例进行专项调查。结果：调查的19235例出院病人，共发现下呼吸道医院感染病例402例，415例次。平均发生率为2．1％。按科室计神经内科发生率最高（5．4％），其次为血液科（4．8％）；妇产科、儿科和眼耳鼻喉科则不足1％。平均每1000住院日发生下呼吸道医院感染1．0例。Logistic多因素回归分析显示，人工气道／呼吸机连续使用≥3d，发生下呼吸道医院感染的相对危险度（RR）为16．7；65－79岁老年人的RR为4．2，而80岁以上的高得则达6．0；颅脑外科手术并发下呼吸道感染是对照组的2．3倍。下呼吸道医院感染造成的损失显，感染组住院时间51d，较对照组延长31．0d，每例增加医疗费用平均18386．1元。下呼吸道医院感染病死率25．8％，而无感染组仅2．3％。结论：上海地区下呼吸道医院感染发病率甚高，危害严重，应采取有效措施，切实降低其发病率。