An evaluation of combination antibiotic therapy in infections with hematological disorders. Hyogo Cooperative Study Group of Infectious Diseases Complicating Hematological Disorders

A clinical study was undertaken to determine the effects of combination antibiotic therapy in 104 patients with infections associated with hematological disorders. All patients were treated with sulbactam/cefoperazone (SBT/CPZ) plus an aminoglycoside as an empiric therapy for fever. The overall efficacy rate of the therapy was 63.5%. Efficacy rates were 61.2% and 71.9% when initial neutrophil counts were less than 500/mm3 and over 500/mm3, respectively. No significant difference was found between the cases in which initially used antibiotics were continued (efficacy rate 62.5%) and those in which antibiotics were switched during the course of therapy (65.6%). Antibiotic therapy with SBT/CPZ plus an aminoglycoside provides adequate antibiotic coverage against infections associated with hematological disorders. This combination was highly effective even in the neutropenic periods of febrile patients.