Cefuroxime and ampicillin compared in a double-blind study in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections

Abstract

Cefuroxime and ampicillin were compared in a randomized double-blind trial in the treatment of severe lower respiratory tract infections. 750 mg of cefuroxime were given to 57 patients and 500 mg of ampicillin to 54 patients by intramuscular injection three times daily for 7-10 days. The patients had acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis with or without pneumonia, a few had bronchiectasis and an underlying bronchial carcinoma was present in nearly a quarter. By the end of treatment the sputum, initially always mucopurulent, had become mucoid in 87.7% of patients receiving cefuroxime in comparison to 48.1% of those receiving ampicillin. A satisfactory clinical response was observed in 94.7 and 68.5%, respectively. Both these differences between cefuroxime and ampicillin are statistically significant (p less than 0.001).