[Study of the efficacy and tolerance of imipenem-cilastatin used as monotherapy for the adjuvant treatment to surgery of peritonitis. Results of a French multicenter study including 257 patients].

The antibiotic treatment of peritonitis classically resorts to the association of two and even three molecules. In order to test the efficacy of a single-drug therapy with Tienam* imipenem/cilastatin) as an adjunctive treatment associated to surgery for perforation peritonitis, an open, non-comparative study of 257 patients was carried out in 28 departments. Imipenem is the first beta-lactam antibiotic of the carbapenem family. This antibiotic seems to be particularly useful for the treatment of mixed polymicrobial infections such as peritoneal infections, owing to its activity spectrum covering Gram-positive and Gram-negative, aerobic and anaerobic germs, including strands with multiple resistances (Enterobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Acinetobacter, Enterococcus and Bacteroides fragilis). A total of 212 patients were assessed with a treatment averaging 7 days. The five most frequently isolated bacteria were Escherichia coli, streptococci, Bacteroides, Proteus and Klebsiella. The healing or improvement rate was 95.3% (202/212). Seven cross-infections occurred during of after the treatment. Tolerance is good in 96% of all cases. Adverse effects were infrequent and mild: the hepatic and hematological alterations never required the interruption of the treatment and they were reversible; the treatment was interrupted in one patient only because of omental tremulation.