ABSTRACT
Imipenem [N-formimidoyl thienamycin] is a new carbapenem Beta-lactam antibiotic with a broad antibacterial spectrum. Thirty patients with moderate to severe infections were treated with the intramuscular formulation of imipenem/cilastatin [500mg twice daily], the duration varying according to clinical response. Out of 30 cases 56.6% had received prior antibiotics with no clinical response, majority having received a triple regime therapy. All cases were bacteriologically proven and cultures were repeated during and at end of therapy. Of the 30 clinically assessable patients, bacteriologic eradication was achieved in 29 [96.7%] cases. One case was a failure due to emergence of a resistant pathogen. Adverse effects were not encountered and imipenem/cilastatin was well tolerated. In this study imipenem/cilastatin proved to be a highly effective monotherapy for the treatment of avariety of serious bacterial infections