The efficacy and safety of the fluoroquinolone pefloxacin was evaluate
d in 55 patients with nosocomial respiratory tract infections. Eightee
n patients had bronchiectasis, 14 had chronic obstructive pulmonary di
sease, 9 had lung abscess, 6 had pneumonia, 3 had bronchial asthma wit
h infection, 2 had interstitial lung disease with infection, and 1 pat
ient each had empyema, infected lung cyst, and hydropneumothorax. All
patients suffered from cough. Forty-two (76%) of the 55 patients had d
yspnea, 33 (60%) had rhonchi, and 22 (40%) had fever. Klebsiella and P
seudomonas species were isolated from the sputum of 18 and 17 patients
, respectively, Two patients were infected with Acinetobacter, 3 with
staphylococci, 2 with streptococci, 2 were infected with Streptococcus
pneumoniae, and 1 each with Haemophilus influenzae, and Escherichia c
oli. In 12 patients, no organisms were isolated from the sputum. All p
atients were treated with pefloxacin 400 mg twice daily for 10 to 14 d
ays. In 36 (84%) of the 43 patients with positive cultures, pefloxacin
therapy eradicated the organisms. The organisms persisted in seven (1
6%) patients. Clinical cure was observed in 10 (18%) of the 55 patient
s, improvement was seen in 39 (71%) patients, and failure occurred in
6 (11%) patients. Pefloxacin therapy did not affect biochemical values
. One patient complained of mild headache, but this side effect was no
t directly attributable to pefloxacin treatment. Pefloxacin should be
considered as an alternative to multi-drug therapy for the treatment o
f nosocomial respiratory tract infections.