Abstract
Clindamycin phosphate was infused transbronchoscopically in 4 patients with lung abscess. The infusion was performed with 300mg to 600mg clindamycin in 20ml of saline once per week for 3 or 4 weeks. Before infusion, the abscess was washed with saline and bacteriological examination of the aspirated fluid revealed Peptostreptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus. Laboratory data, chest X-ray and clinical symptoms improved in all 4 cases with this treatment. No severe side effects were observed except for transient fever and moderate and reversible elevation of serum transaminase level. In normal volunteers, the maximum serum concentration of clindamycin was obtained at 2 hours after infusion, which level was approximately maintained for 8 hours. Transbronchial washing and infusion of clindamycin was considered to be a safe and useful treatment for lung abscess, especially for refractory cases.
