A number of recent articles have reviewed the problem of hypoprothrombinemia and bleeding associated with antibiotic therapy. We report three cases in which bleeding is believed to be related to a prolonged prothrombin time secondary to cefoperazone therapy. Reports of coagulopathies such as these are increasing in number and call attention to the need to monitor the prothrombin time during cefoperazone therapy.
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MarierRLFaroSSandersCV. Moxalactam in the therapy of serious infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother1982; 21: 650–4.
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SchentagJJWelsPBReitbergDPWalezakPVantyleJHLascolaRJ. A randomized clinical trial of moxalactam alone versus tobramycin plus clindamycin in abdominal sepsis. Ann Surg1983; 198: 35–41.
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MeiselS. Severe bleeding diathesis associated with moxalactam administration. Drug Intell Clin Pharm1984; 18: 721–2.
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AndrassyKKoderischJRitzE. Influence of cefotaxime, cefoperazone, and moxalactam on hemostasis (abstract). Twenty-second Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Miami Beach, October 4–6, 1982.
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CristianoP. Hypoprothrombinemia associated with cefoperazone treatment. Drug Intell Clin Pharm1984; 18: 314–6.
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MeiselS. Hypoprothrombinemia due to cefoperazone. Drug Intell Clin Pharm1984; 18: 316.
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