The American journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A new therapeutic option for the treatment of pneumonia.
Patients with bacterial pneumonia often are treated empirically with parenteral broad-spectrum antimicrobials intended to cover potential gram-negative and gram-positive pathogens. However, beta-lactamase-mediated resistance has developed to many of these antimicrobials, particularly third-generation cephalosporins, and has led to the development of fourth-generation agents that are relatively beta-lactamase stable. The purpose of these studies was to compare the efficacy and safety of the fourth-generation agent, cefepime, with that of the third-generation agent, ceftazidime, in the treatment of hospitalized patients with moderate-to-severe bacterial pneumonia. ⋯ Among the most frequent adverse events in both groups were nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Similar adverse events were noted in the 99 patients in the blinded study. These studies indicate that the efficacy and safety of cefepime administered at 1 g twice daily is comparable to that of ceftazidime administered at 1 g three times daily for treatment of hospitalized patients with pneumonia caused by susceptible pathogens.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Current and future management of serious skin and skin-structure infections.
The purpose of this study was to compare in a randomized, open-label clinical study, the efficacy and safety of cefepime (1 g every 12 hours) with that of ceftazidime (1 g every 8 hours) in patients with serious skin and skin-structure infections. Of 298 patients enrolled in the study, 130 with serious skin and skin-structure infections were evaluable. Demographics and underlying medical conditions were comparable in both groups. ⋯ Adverse events occurred with similar frequency in both groups. Events probably related to study drugs affected 3% (6 of 198) of patients treated with cefepime and 4% (4 of 100) of ceftazidime-treated patients. Cefepime, a new parenteral cephalosporin administered every 12 hours, is an extremely well tolerated and effective alternative to ceftazidime given every 8 hours for the treatment of serious skin and skin-structure infections.
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The selection of drug-resistant pathogens in hospitalized patients with serious infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections (UTI), skin and skin-structure infections, and primary or secondary bacteremia has generally been ascribed to the widespread use of antimicrobial agents. Issues of concern regarding gram-negative bacilli include the expression of extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonias and constitutive resistance in some Enterobacteriaceae caused by Bush group 1 beta-lactamases. Current concerns with gram-positive pathogens are increasing multidrug resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, and coagulase-negative staphylococci, and increasing incidence of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. ⋯ Both fourth-generation beta-lactams and carbapenems may have in vitro activity against these pathogens; however, where these drugs--with their increased spectra and lower affinity for beta-lactamases and less susceptibility to beta-lactamase hydrolysis--fit into the therapeutic armamentarium remains to be determined. Initial clinical studies appear to be promising, nonetheless. The ability of both nosocomial and community-acquired pathogens to develop resistance to powerful broad-spectrum agents presents a great challenge for prescribing patterns and in the development of new drugs to be relatively resistant to inactivation.
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Multicenter Study
The changing face of candidemia: emergence of non-Candida albicans species and antifungal resistance.
To assess the changing epidemiology of candidemia in the 1990s, to evaluate the clinical implications for the presence of non-Candida albicans in blood, and to evaluate the presence of antifungal resistance in relation to prior antifungal administration. ⋯ In this large scale study, the non-C. albicans species, especially T. glabrata, emerged as important and frequent pathogens causing fungemia. This finding has major clinical implications given the higher complication and mortality rate associated with the non-C. albicans species. The change in the pattern of candidemia might be partly attributed to the increase in number of immunocompromised hosts and the widespread use of prophylactic or empiric antifungal therapy. This is an ominous sign given the in vitro resistance of the non-C. albicans species to currently available antifungal agents.