Using
cefotiam (CTM) against
infections in neonates and premature infants, we obtained the following results: With
intravenous administration of the
drug to 2 cases each of
pyoderma,
pneumonia, and fetal
infection, the
drug was effective in all the cases except in 1 premature infant with
pneumonia. Dose levels at individual
injections were between 18.6 and 27.8 mg/kg, per dose, with an exception in 1 case of
pyoderma (36.4-54.5 mg/kg), and 2 to 4 doses per day were given to each patient. For prophylactic purposes, the
drug was administered to 1 case of turbid amniotic fluid and 3 cases of massive aspiration syndrome, and no
infection was observed in any case. In a total of 11 cases consisting of the above mentioned 10 cases and an additional case which had been excluded from the evaluation because of the detection of P. aeruginosa, neither side effects nor abnormal laboratory values were recognized. In 5 cases of 4 to 31-day old infants, CTM concentrations in blood were measured after one-time
intravenous injection of the
drug at a dose level of about 20 mg/kg. Blood concentrations of CTM were low in 1 case with levels of 14.4 and 4.5 micrograms/ml at 30 minutes and 2 hours after the
intravenous injection, respectively, whereas they were high in another case with readings of 82 and 65 micrograms/ml. In the remaining 3 cases, however, 30-minute and 2-hour values were between 41 to 52, and 13.5 to 22.8 micrograms/ml, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)