[Pharmacokinetic, bacteriological and clinical studies on meropenem in children].

Pharmacokinetic, bacteriological and clinical studies on meropenem (MEPM) were performed in children. The results are summarized as follows: 1. A total of 16 patients was treated with MEPM. Each dose was 20 mg/kg, and administration was made 3 times daily using 30-minute intravenous drip infusion for 5-28 days. Clinical efficacies of MEPM in 16 patients with bacterial infections (1 with purulent meningitis, 1 with suspected subdural abscess, 2 with suspected sepsis, 4 with pneumonia, 1 with acute maxillar sinusitis, 2 with cervical abscess, 1 with acute gastroenteritis, 2 with skin soft tissue infection and 2 with urinary tract infection) were evaluated as excellent in 7 patients, good in 8 patients and fair in 1 patient with an efficacy rate of 93.8%. Fourteen causative organisms found in 11 patients (Streptococcus pneumoniae in 4, Branhamella catarrhalis in 3, Staphylococcus aureus in 3, Group B Streptococcus in 1, Escherichia coli in 3) were all eradicated. No adverse reactions were observed in any of the 16 patients. 2. MICs of MEPM against 6 clinically isolated bacteria (B. catarrhalis 2, S. pneumoniae 3 and S. aureus 1) from children with bacterial infections were examined. MEPM showed good antibacterial activities. 3. Pharmacokinetic studies: Peak plasma concentrations of MEPM averaged 43.07 micrograms/ml (37.20-46.30 micrograms/ml) at dose of 20 mg/kg administered by 30-minute drip infusion. In the first 8 hours after administration, the urinary excretion rates of MEPM averaged 39.9% of the administered dose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)