[Effectiveness and tolerance of piperacillin in 333 patients].

In a French multicentric trial the effectiveness and safety of piperacillin were evaluated in 333 patients with severe infections. Piperacillin was administered alone in 212 cases. The overall results show that the drug was clinically effective in 85% of the patients. The results of this French study are similar to those of other studies previously published. They demonstrate an increase in the number of failures against ampicillin-resistant and carbenicillin-resistant strains, even when these strains were sensitive to piperacillin in vitro. Piperacillin was tolerated as well as the other beta-lactam antibiotics, the main side-effects being hypersensitivity reactions.