title: Pharmacokinetic analysis of gentamicin thrice and single daily dosage in pediatric cancer patients.
abstract: Fifty-two children suffering from different types of malignancies were included and evaluated for the pharmacokinetics of gentamicin thrice or single daily dosage protocols. All the study population received a total dose of 5 mg/kg daily. Thirty children received gentamicin thrice daily, and 22 were treated using the single daily protocol; all had fever and neutropenia when included. The individual pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using a one-compartment model for two blood gentamicin samples. The mean (SD) t 1/2 (h), clearance (mL/min/BSA), Vss (L/kg), Cmax (micrograms/mL), and Cmin (micrograms/mL) were 3.05 (1.0) and 3.9 (0.6) h, 136 (61.3) and 99.9 (65.3) mL/min/BSA, 0.4035 (0.167) and 0.457 (0.17) L/kg, 5.2 (2.0) and 11.5 (4.2) micrograms/mL, 0.8 (0.6) and 0.18 (0.1) microgram/mL for thrice and single daily dosage schedules, respectively. The single gentamicin daily dose protocol had a significantly longer t 1/2, shorter clearance normalized to BSA, higher Cmax, and lower Cmin in comparison with the thrice daily schedule. We recommend the use of gentamicin at 5 mg/kg daily delivered as a single daily dose for pediatric cancer patients with fever and neutropenia, in spite of the measured pharmacokinetic differences, which in our opinion have no clinical significance.
authors.affiliation: Rambam Medical Center, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Postovsky
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Ben Arush
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kassis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elhasid
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krivoy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D005839:Gentamicins