Clinical results and concentrations of cefmenoxime in serum, amniotic fluid, mother's milk, and umbilical cord.

Cefmenoxime administered intravenously was used to treat a variety of gynecologic and obstetric infections in 40 patients. Many were mixed infections. The mean age of the patients was 39.7 +/- 2.39 years. The dosage of cefmenoxime was 2 g per day (n = 30) or 1 g per day (n = 10). Cefmenoxime levels were assayed microbiologically in serum, milk, amniotic fluid, and placental tissues. The overall bacteriologic cure rate was 86 percent. Clinically, 100 percent of the patients were treated successfully. Side effects were generally mild, and in no case was treatment discontinued. Twelve hours after the last bolus injection, levels of cefmenoxime were 1.1 microgram/ml in serum and 1.75 microgram/ml in milk. Thirty minutes after a 1 g bolus injection in patients undergoing cesarean section, mean maternal serum concentrations were 33 micrograms/ml. Concentrations were 7.4 micrograms/ml in umbilical cord blood and 2.3 micrograms/ml in amniotic fluid.