Results of a clinical and pharmacokinetic study of ceftazidime in patients with postoperative pneumonia on assisted ventilation.

Thirty-three patients who developed nosocomial pneumonia postoperatively were treated with ceftazidime, 4-6 g daily, over an average period of 7 days. Twenty-nine patients were evaluated; 13 (45%) patients were cured, five showed improvement, two relapsed, and one could not be assessed. X-rays of the chest showed no infiltrates in 17 out of the 29 cases (59%) after treatment. On the first day of treatment, ceftazidime concentrations in bronchial secretions of nine patients were estimated. The mean values of serum concentrations were: 15 min after infusion, 98 micrograms ml-1; 60 min, 63; 120 min, 44; 360 min, 20; 480 min, 13 micrograms ml-1. The mean values of the corresponding bronchial secretions were 2.9, 5.8, 10.2, 7.11 and 5.2 micrograms ml-1.