IMIPENEM/CILASTATIN THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INFECTIONS IN THE OUTPATIENT SETTING

From 1986 to early 1992, we treated 214 patients with imipenem every 8 hours in our outpatient intravenous therapy clinic. Patients ranged in age from 13 to 68 years and were treated for a variety of moderate-to-severe gynecologic, skin and soft tissue, bone and joint, pulmonary, upper respiratory tract, intraabdominal, blood, and central nervous system infections. We observed an overall cure rate of 91% among those considered to be efficacy evaluable. Eleven percent reported drug-related events that required premature discontinuation. Our experience with imipenem in outpatients mirrors clinical cure rates in controlled studies in hospitalized patients. Treatment failures were more often due to side effects than to lack of efficacy or relapse.