title: Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of intravenous meperidine in neonates and infants.
abstract: The pharmacokinetics of meperidine (pethidine) was studied in 21 infants who received a single intravenous dose of 1 mg/kg after surgery (n = 18) or during mechanical ventilation because of respiratory distress (n = 3). Eleven patients were younger than 1 week old, 10 patients were aged from 3 weeks to 5 months, and five of the patients were premature. The pharmacokinetics of meperidine varied greatly between the subjects, with a median elimination half-life of 10.7 hours (range, 3.3 to 59.4 hours), median clearance of 8.0 ml/kg/min (range, 1.8 to 34.9 ml/kg/min), median volume of the central compartment of 2.4 L/kg (range, 0.5 to 4.8 L/kg), and median steady-state volume of distribution 7.2 L/kg (range, 3.3 to 11.0). The great interindividual variability in meperidine pharmacokinetics should be taken into consideration when meperidine is administered to neonates. Although no life-threatening or serious side effects were observed in this study, appropriate care should be exercised when prescribing meperidine for this age group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pokela
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Olkkola
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koivisto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ryhänen
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000378:metabolism*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000378:metabolism; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008614:Meperidine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy; D012121:Respiration, Artificial
chemical_list: D008614:Meperidine