Effectiveness of Meropenem for the Treatment of Aspiration Pneumonia in Elderly Patients

Abstract

Objective and Background In Japan, an increase in the elderly population is associated with an increased incidence of aspiration pneumonia.

The Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Postoperative Pneumonia

“…It is usually caused by bacteria, sometimes polymicrobial, especially in patients who are at risk for aspiration [9, 10]. The majority of postoperative pneumonia cases are caused by gram-negative, aerobic bacteria including Pseudomonas , Klebsiella , and Enterobacter species, among others.…”

Aspiration Pneumonia in Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Patients with Loss of Consciousness: Prevalence, Outcomes, and Risk Factors

“…20 The bacteriology in this study was similar to that in recent studies, showing that aerobes as pathogen of aspiration pneumonia play a more important role than anaerobes. 21,22 Several limitations of our study should be explained. This study was retrospective, making our findings vulnerable to commonly discussed biases and confounding factors, although this is the largest study of data collected from the prospective carbon monoxide poisoning registry.…”

Efficacy and safety of meropenem (3 g daily) in Japanese patients with refractory respiratory infections

“…Yamamoto et al reported that MEPM at 1.5 g daily showed an efficacy rate of 74.2% (23/31) in NHCAP patients, and the efficacy rate of tazobactam/piperacillin was slightly higher (22/29, 87.9%) [18]. In addition, the efficacy rate of MEPM at 1 g daily in elderly patients with aspiration pneumonia was reported to be 61.3% [19]. We were able to evaluate the plasma concentration of MEPM in one patient with empyema whose MEPM dose was increased from 1.5 g to 3.0 g/day because of insufficient clinical efficacy, and this patient showed an increased plasma level of MEPM from 15.2 mg/ml to 41.0 mg/ml at one hour after MEPM administration.…”