Clinical effect of intravenous ciprofloxacin on hospital-acquired pneumonia.

The effect of intravenous ciprofloxacin (CPFX) on hospital-acquired pneumonia was examined. The subjects were 32 patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia classified as being in group I, group II, and group III, based on The Japanese Respiratory Society Guidelines for management of hospital-acquired pneumonia. None of the patients had received antibiotic treatment for the pneumonia. CPFX 300 mg was intravenously infused twice daily for 3-14 days, and its clinical effect, bacterological effect, and side effects were examined. Intravenous CPEX was clinically effective in 21 of the 32 patients, with an efficacy rate of 65.6%. With regard to bacteriological efficacy, 4 of 5 strains of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, 2 of 3 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, 1 of 2 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, 1 of 2 strains of Streptococcus agalactiae, 1 of 2 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 1 of 2 strains of Serratia marcescens, and the 1 strain of Klebsiella oxytoca were eradicated, with an eradication rate of 42.3% (11 of 26 strains whose fate was confirmed eradicated). Abnormal laboratory findings (side effects) were observed in 11 of the 32 patients (34.4%), but all side effects were mild. Based on the above data, intravenous CPFX may be the drug which should be recommended as the first choice for hospital-acquired pneumonia.