Therapeutic efficacy of the combination of aztreonam with cefotaxime in the treatment of severe nosocomial pneumonia. Comparative study against amikacin combined with cefotaxime

The combination aztreonam + cefotaxime (AZ + CE) was compared to amikacin + cefotaxime (AM + CE) in the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia acquired at the intensive-care unit. This study included a total of 33 patients fulfilling criteria for nosocomial pneumonia. 16 of them were randomly allocated to the AZ + CE group and 17 to the AM + CE group. The empirical treatment was effective for 78% of AZ + CE cases and 92% of AM + CE cases (p = NS). Clinical care was observed in 77% of cases (10 out of 13 evaluable) in the AZ group and in 75% of the group treated with AM (12 cases out of 16 evaluable; p = NS). In the evaluable cases, treatment failure was associated with injections due to the following organisms: Acinetobacter calcoaceticus (1) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1) in the AZ group and A. calcoaceticus (1) in the AM group. Superinfections were observed only in the AM group P. aeruginosa. A. calcoaceticus, Streptococcus viridans, Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus and Serratia marcescens. Both the peak and through serum concentrations of AZ and AM were maintained within normal ranges. Finally, an impairment of renal tubular function was observed in the group of patients treated with AM, as measured by urinary levels of N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and leucine aminopeptidase sequentially during the treatment. These changes in renal functions alterations mentioned were not observed in the AZ group. It is concluded that the AZ + CE combination is an effective empirical and active antibiotic treatment against severe nosocomial pneumonia. Aztreonam has no renal toxicity, which is an advantage to take into account in patients with altered renal function.

Pulmonary infiltrates in immunocompromised patients. Diagnostic value of telescoping plugged catheter and bronchoalveolar lavage

The usefulness of telescoping plugged catheter (TPC) together with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in the same bronchoscopic act in the diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates was studied in 113 fiberoptic bronchoscopic examinations performed on 96 immunocompromised patients. The TPC cultures detected pulmonary bacterial infections in 25 (22 percent) cases but showed a high frequency of false positive results (12 microorganisms, 27 percent). Bronchoalveolar lavage had an overall diagnostic yield of 49 percent (53 of 113 cases). Combining TPC and BAL diagnostic values, 78 of 113 pulmonary infiltrates (69 percent) were diagnosed. The results obtained by both techniques allowed us to modify the treatment in 35 (31 percent) cases. Combined, TPC and BAL show a good diagnostic yield in immunocompromised patients with pulmonary infiltrates. Both techniques should be performed as the first approach in the evaluation of these patients, and be done in the same bronchoscopic procedure.