title: Meropenem pharmacokinetics in children and adolescents receiving hemodialysis.
abstract: The emergence of multi-drug-resistant bacteria is of great concern to the care of pediatric end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who receive either hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis via a catheter. Infections with gram-negative organisms, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are difficult to eradicate and often necessitate catheter removal. Meropenem, a broad-spectrum antibiotic of the carbapenem class of beta-lactams, is effective against most gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and has enhanced activity against P. aeruginosa. We studied the pharmacokinetics of meropenem during and between hemodialysis treatments in seven pediatric patients. Meropenem was given as a single dose of 20 mg/kg (maximum 500 mg) before and after two separate hemodialysis treatments. Meropenem administration was tolerated without any adverse effects. Hemodialysis effectively cleared meropenem in a manner that correlated with percent urea reduction. Median drug half-life was 7.3 h off dialysis (range 4.9-11.7 h). The dose of 20 mg/kg was not sufficient to produce an acceptable interdialytic pharmacodynamic profile of 70% duration with a meropenem concentration >4 microg/ml, the MIC90 of meropenem for P. aeruginosa. Dosing simulations revealed that a daily dose of 25 mg/kg or an alternate day dose of 40 mg/kg would result in an acceptable pharmacodynamic profile. Both simulated doses achieved acceptable peak concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. stuartg@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Murry
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aleksic
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Sowinski
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blaney
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D000077731:Meropenem; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D013845:Thienamycins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*
chemical_list: D013845:Thienamycins; D000077731:Meropenem