EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF PIPERACILLIN TAZOBACTAM IN SKIN AND SOFT-TISSUE INFECTIONS/

Piperacillin/tazobactam has excellent in vitro activity against the mo st pathogens involved in skin infections. Two large multicentre studie s recently evaluated the efficacy and safety of piperacillin/tazobacta m in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections in patients in h ospital. The efficacy and safety of piperacillin/tazobactam (4 g/500 m g every 8 hours) have been assessed in an open study in Europe. Among 120 evaluable patients, 93% were clinically cured or improved. Only si x patients were withdrawn from the study because of side effects. In a nother trial, piperaciilin/tazobactam were compared with ticarcillin/c lavulanate in a double-blinded prospective study in the United States. Of evaluable patients, 67 received piperacillin/tazobactam (3 g/375 m g every 6 hours) and 44 received ticarcillin/clavulanate (3 g/100 mg e very 6 hours). At assessment, 76% of patients given piperacillin/tazob actam and 77% of patients given ticarcillin/clavulanate had responded favourably. The lower success rate in this trial may be attributed to more stringent inclusion criteria that resulted in the incorporation o f a higher proportion of patients with more severe conditions includin g diabetic/ischaemic foot infections. The incidence of adverse reactio ns was similar in both groups. Piperacillin/tazobactam seems to be bot h effective and safe in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infectio ns in patients confined to hospital.