Twelve febrile patients with severe neutropenia, who had undergone aggressive chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia, were treated empirically with a continuous infusion of ceftazidime 100 mg/kg/day after a 500 mg loading dose, in order to study the pharmacokinetics of ceftazidime after continuous infusion and to examine the clinical applicability of continuous infusion in this patient population. Three patients had a slight decrease in renal function. All patients attained a steady-state ceftazidime serum level of > 20 micrograms/ml within 180 to 240 min, which was considered effective against most pathogens in neutropenic patients. The median volume of distribution for the patient group was 29.1 l, the elimination half-life was 2.5 h and the clearance of ceftazidime was 7.7 l/h. A subnormal kidney function influenced half-lives and clearance (but not volume of distribution), as expected. When precautions were taken to avoid known interactions between ceftazidime and other compounds to be infused simultaneously, continuous infusion of ceftazidime was applicable for treatment of neutropenic patients without major side effects.