Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Pitzus.
Microbiological examinations of the sputum for clinical purposes is often not satisfactory or useless. Suitability, chances of oropharyngeal contamination, hazards for the patients and clinical indications of the various drawing methods for tracheobronchial secretions and exudates are different. Transcutaneous tracheal aspiration is easy, reliable and safe.
The paper reports a study of the activity of cefotaxime and its metabolite, desacetylcefotaxime, and the association of the two compounds, against 699 strains of enterobacteria, staphylococci and Bacteroides fragilis of hospital origin. The results of the study confirm the good activity of the drug and the less satisfactory activity of its metabolite, which is nevertheless comparable to second generation cephalosporins. The 1:1 association of the two compounds showed synergism in percentages ranging from 3.7% to 15% of strains, and partial synergies of indifference to the remaining strains. Antagonisms were only observed against some M. morgani and H. alvei strains.
The authors present the epidemiological data concerning nosocomial infections in their Intensive Care Unit, and discuss an antibiotic strategy statistically oriented by these data. In their experience, treatment based on statistical criteria, brought to a reduction in antibiotic consumption with particular regard to broad-spectrum antibiotics, and to a decrease in individual budget.
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Identification for clinical purposes of the etiological germs in individual cases of bronchopulmonary not tuberculous infections is usually very hard. Sometimes, particularly in acute cases, microbiological counts in sputum as in tracheobronchial secretions and exudates may be useful. In some chronic cases an amount of particular bacteria in tracheal (transcutaneous) secretion larger than in sputum is to consider an etiological sign.