Ceftazidime in the treatment of complicated respiratory and urinary tract infections.

The efficacy of ceftazidime was examined in 46 patients, 33 with respiratory and 13 with urinary tract infections. Ceftazidime was given following the failure of conventional therapy or when bacteria had been isolated within a week of treatment. It was also used in infections arising as a complication of an indwelling catheter or in emergency situations when alternative antibiotics were inappropriate. Ceftazidime was found to be very successful in the treatment of these infections and only two patients failed to respond clinically, one of these being a patient with an indwelling catheter and one treated as an emergency who had severe underlying pathology. One patient was considered unevaluable because he died of his underlying condition during treatment. Serum levels of ceftazidime are described following im and iv administration of 0.5 and 1 g doses.