Endotracheal Gentamicin in Bronchial Infections in Patients with Tracheostomy

Tracheotomized patients, with severe underlying illnesses and serious tracheobronchial infections due to gram-negative bacilli were treated at random with intramuscularly or endotracheally administered gentamicin (240 mg daily). Clinical improvement occurred in all seven patients treated by the endotracheal route and in two out of eight who received gentamicin intramuscularly. No gentamicin (less than 0.5 μg/ ml) was detected in the respiratory secretions after intramuscular administration, while endotracheal injection resulted in measurable levels in all seven patients; five of them had more than 20 μg/ ml of gentamicin in the respiratory secretions.