Abstract
Seventy patients experienced 103 episodes of fever while neutropenic. Fifty-one patients received empiric therapy with a double beta-lactam combination (cefoperazone and mezlocillin or cefoperazone and piperacillin) and 52 received ticarcillin/tobramycin/cefazolin. Although only 25% in each group defervesced without additional antimicrobial therapy, 82% of the double beta-lactam patients and 90% of the aminoglycoside patients recovered from the neutropenic episode. Break-through bacteremias with Staphylococcus sp were identified more commonly in patients receiving ticarcillin/tobramycin/cefazolin. Gram-negative bacilli were identified in both groups. Equivalent efficacy, ease of administration and lower cost favor the use of cefoperazone and mezlocillin as empiric therapy for febrile neutropenic patients.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 25-33 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Current Therapeutic Research - Clinical and Experimental |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 1987 |