Five days of ceftriaxone to treat spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in cirrhotic patients

Background.

The aim of this study was to determine whether a short course of ceftriaxone was sufficient to cure spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in cirrhotic patients. Methods. We studied 33 cirrhotic patients with SBP. All of them were treated with ceftriaxone, 1.0 g IV, every 12 h for 5 days. Twenty-one variables were recorded to evaluate their relationship to the resolution of SBP. Results. The mean age of the patients was 45 years. Twenty-three were males and 10 females. The etiology of cirrhosis was alcoholic in 42% of the patients, and 82% of the patients belonged to Child-Pugh Class C. Hepatic encephalopathy was present in 39% of the patients. The most frequent organism causing SBP was Escherichia coli (60%). Resolution of SBP on day 5 of treatment was achieved in 73% of the patients. Total resolution of SBP after prolonged therapy with ceftriaxone or another agent, selected according to antibiotic susceptibility, was achieved in 94% of the patients. Hospital mortality was 12%. Multivariate analysis showed no factor that was significantly related to the resolution of SBP, but univariate analysis showed that renal impairment and positive culture tended to be related. Conclusions. A short course (5 days) of ceftriaxone is useful therapy for SBP. If the polymorphonuclear differential count in ascitic fluid is less than 250 cells/mm³ on day 5 of treatment, the antibiotic can be discontinued.