CEFOTIAM CONCENTRATIONS IN THE SINUS FLUID OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC SINUSITIS AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF CEFOTIAM HEXETIL

Cefotiam hexetil is a prodrug of cefotiam. The concentrations of cefot iam in plasma and sinus secretions were determined in 18 patients (10 males, 8 females, aged 39.3 +/- 13.0 years) with chronic sinusitis. Al l patients received two 200 mg oral doses of cefotiam hexetil 12 h apa rt and were divided into four groups according to the time which elaps ed between the last dose and collection of secretion samples. The last dose was given 2 h (group I), 3 h (group II), 4 h (group III) or 6 h (group IV) before sinus puncture. Cefotiam concentrations were measure d by high-pressure liquid chromatography and microbiological assay, re sults being very similar with both methods. Mean concentrations of cef otiam with the standard deviation in sinus exudates were 1.04 +/- 0.60 mg/l at 2 h (n = 6), 1.04 +/- 0.33 mg/l at 3 h (n = 4), 0.75 +/- 0.74 mg/l at 4 h (n = 4) and < 0.10 mg/l at 6 h (n = 4). Mean sinus fluid concentrations were higher than mean plasma concentrations in all grou ps. These results suggest that cefotiam concentrations higher than the MICs for common pathogens are found in sinus secretions up to 4 h aft er oral administration of cefotiam hexetil.