Standardization of the serum bactericidal test and its relationship to levels of antimicrobial agents

Pharmacokinetics of cefuroxime in traumatic wound secretion and antibacterial activity under vacuum therapy

The objective of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of cefuroxime in wound secretion and the antibacterial activity of the traumatic wound secretion in patients receiving cefuroxime and in those not receiving antibiotics. Included in the present controlled, prospective, non-randomized study were 12 patients with an open fracture who needed vacuum therapy (group A) and 12 patients with a closed fracture, who, due to soft tissue damage, also underwent treatment with vacuum therapy (group B). Wound secretion was obtained on the first, third and fifth postoperative days and exposed to the test bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Patients in group A underwent systemic antibiotic treatment with cefuroxime administered intravenously at a dose of 1.5 g every 8 hours. Patients in group B did not receive antibiotics. Cefuroxime concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antibacterial activity was determined using the inhibition test. Maximum cefuroxime concentrations in wound secretion were measured at 4-5 hours following intravenous administration and, with a mean concentration of 10 mg/l, remained consistently above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the test bacteria at all points during the measurement period. As expected, the antibacterial activity of the wound secretion in patients in group A (cefuroxime) was higher than that in group B (no antibiotics). In group A, antibacterial activity against S. aureus was 94.6% and 100% against S. epidermidis. In group B, antibacterial activity against S. aureus was 61% and 81% against S. epidermidis. Cefuroxime reaches the highest level in wound secretion after 4 hours. The high antibacterial activity of the wound secretion in traumatic closed fractures is elevated by cefuroxime. in addition, our findings show that vacuum therapy of wounds is suitable as a non-invasive method for studying the pharmacokinetics of antibiotics.

Treatment of chronic osteomyelitis in children resistant to previous therapy

Patients admitted to the authors' institution with tibial osteomyelitis between 1978 and 1998 were reviewed. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, etiology, treatment, and outcome in chronic pediatric tibial osteomyelitis. The authors describe their treatment of chronic osteomyelitis in children resistant to previous therapeutic modalities. Thirty patients were identified with a mean age of 8.5 years at diagnosis. Mean age at admission was 9.6 years, indicating more than a 1-year duration of disease. Follow-up averaged 2.3 years. Patients underwent 97 procedures, averaging 3.2 procedures per patient. Hospital stay ranged from 2 weeks to 18 months, with an average stay of 4.7 months. Seventy-seven percent of patients were culture-positive, and 78% of positive cultures identified Staphylococcus aureus as the causative pathogen. Eighty percent of patients had a good outcome, 13% had a fair outcome, and there were no poor results. Patients with large tibial defects obtained good results with both tibiofibular synostosis and Ilizarov distraction osteogenesis. The authors describe the only reported group of pediatric patients successfully treated using Ilizarov bone transport for bony tibial defects due to osteomyelitis.