Clinical Trial of Amikacin in the Treatment of Pyelonephritis in Children

Abstract

Twenty-three patients with pyelonephritis, twenty-one of them children, were treated with twice-daily intramuscular injections of amikacin, a new aminoglycoside antibiotic. Adults were given 250 mg doses every 12 hours; children were given 5 mg/kg/day divided into two doses 12 hours apart. Treatment continued for ten days. Pre-treatment cultures and sensitivity tests revealed E. coli to be the responsible organism in fourteen cases, with Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella aerobacter, Proteus rettgeri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the remaining cases. Eighteen of the twenty-three patients responded satisfactorily, with pathogens eradicated and clinical signs and symptoms resolved. Post-treatment urine cultures were performed up to 30 days. No adverse drug effects were noted clinically nor in pre-and post-treatment laboratory tests of renal, hepatic and hematopoietic function.