Intramuscular Pentamidine for the Prevention of Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia in Patients Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Tony W. Cheung, Ray Matta, Eric Neibart, Glenn Hammer, Eileen Chusid, Henry S. Sacks, Susan Szabo, David Rose

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 96 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who received intramuscular pentamidine for the prevention of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). These patients, all of whom had either a history of PCP or a CD4lymphocyte count of ⩽0.2 × 109/L, were intolerant of sulfa drugs, neutropenic, or intolerant of aerosolized treatment. Intramuscular pentamidine was given monthly by the Z-track technique at a dosage of 300 mg (4 mg/kg if the patient weighed <50 kg). During a total of 350 months of primary prophylaxis in 47 patients and 426 months of secondary prophylaxis in 49 patients, only three cases of PCP occurred. More than 73% of the patients were receiving zidovudine concomitantly. Adverse reactions to intramuscular pentamidine included two episodes of hypotension, three of sterile abscess, two of glucose intolerance, and one of asymptomatic hypoglycemia. The administration of intramuscular pentamidine by the Z-track technique for PCP prophylaxis appears to be highly effective and minimally toxic.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)22-25
Number of pages4
JournalClinical Infectious Diseases
Volume16
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1993

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