[Clinical effects of continuous infusion and intermittent infusion of meropenem on bacterial pneumonia in the elderly]

Author(s): Okimoto N, Ishiga M, Nanba F, Kibayashi T, Kishimoto M, Kurihara T, Honda Y, Asaoka N, Tamada S

Affiliation(s): Center of Respiratory Diseases, Kawasaki Medical School Kawasaki Hospital.

Publication date & source: 2009-07, Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi., 47(7):553-7.

Publication type: Comparative Study; English Abstract

We compared the clinical effects of continuous infusion and intermittent infusion of meropenem (MEPM) on bacterial pneumonia in the elderly. The subjects were elderly patients (over 65) with moderate community-acquired bacterial pneumonia whose performance status was 3 or 4. They were randomly divided into an intermittent group (0.5 g MEPM was infused morning and evening) and a continuous infusion group (1.0 g/day over 24 hours was infused continuously), and the clinical effects were reviewed prospectively. Clinical efficacy on the third day was 64.0% in the intermittent infusion group and 72.0% in the continuous infusion group, and the overall clinical efficacy was 76.0% in the intermittent infusion group and 80.0% in the continuous infusion group. Administration periods were 13.2 +/- 5.7 days in the intermittent infusion group and 12.1 +/- 4.5 days in the continuous infusion group. These results show no statistically significant difference, and suggest that continuous infusion of MEPM did not have better clinical effect than intermittent administration twice a day in the treatment of elderly patients with moderate community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.