[Prospective and comparative study of 2 antibiotic therapy protocols in 66 febrile neutropenic patients. Ceftazidime-vancomycin versus ticarcillin-vancomycin-amikacin].

Out of 66 febrile neutropenic patients, 33 were treated with a ceftazidime-vancomycin combination (group A) and 33 with a ticarcillin-vancomycin-amikacin combination (group B). There was no significant difference in satisfactory results between the two groups (group A 79 per cent, group B 88 per cent), and both regimens were equally active in all febrile episodes. Reversible side-effects (renal and cutaneous toxicity) were observed in 15 per cent of the cases. Two cases of superinfection and one case of resistance occurring during treatment were noted in group B patients. At a time when Gram-positive infections are increasingly frequent among febrile neutropenic patients, the ceftazidime-vancomycin combination seems to be as effective as the ticarcillin-vancomycin-amikacin triple drug combination.