Clinical Comparative Study of Sulbactam/Ampicillin and Imipenem/Cilastatin in Elderly Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia

摘要

Objective: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of sulbactam/ampicillin therapy for community-acquired pneumonia in the elderly. Methodology: A randomized prospective clinical study was conducted in the elderly patients with moderate-to-severe community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. Results: Overall clinical efficacy of sulbactam/ampicillin therapy (6 g/day) in these patients (efficacy rate: 91.4%) was comparable to that of imipenem/cilastatin therapy (1 g/day; efficacy rate: 87.5%), when each therapy was administered intravenously twice daily for 7-14 days. With regard to clinical efficacy based on disease severity, bacteriological efficacy, improvement of chest X-ray findings and adverse reactions, the two therapies were comparable. Conclusion: These results suggest that sulbactam/ampicillin therapy has excellent efficacy and tolerability and that it may be highly effective, even in severe cases of pneumonia. This regimen may thus serve as first-line treatment for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in elderly patients.