Preliminary Report Comparing Piperacillin and Carbenicillin for Complicated Urinary Tract Infections

AbstractPiperacillin is a new semisynthetic penicillin with a broad spectrum of in vitro activity against common gram-negative urinary tract pathogens. We compared the efficacy and safety of piperacillin versus carbenicillin in patients with complicated urinary tract infection. A total of 56 adult patients (mean age 55 years) in stable medical condition with 1 or more structural genitourinary abnormalities entered the study. Of these patients 27 were evaluated for antibiotic efficacy. There were 20 lower tract and 7 upper tract infections, of which 17 were acute and 10 were chronic. Patients were randomized into 2 groups: 17 patients with 18 organisms received single agent treatment with 181mg. per kg. intravenous piperacillin daily for 6 days and 10 patients with 11 organisms received 270mg. per kg. intravenous carbenicillin daily for 6 days. Infecting organisms were Escherichia coli 45 per cent, Proteus mirabilis 14 per cent, Klebsiella pneumoniae 14 per cent, Enterobacter species 10 per cent, Pseudomon...