[Monitorization of blood levels of vancomycin in children with multi-resistant bacterial infections].
Pharmacokinetics of vancomycin depends on many factors and one of them is the age of the patient. It is better known in adults and there are few studies in children. Therefore, we studied the serum concentrations in 22 children with multi-resistant bacteria infections that received vancomycin. The doses administered followed the recommended rules for its utilization. This study was made at the equilibrium phase and immunofluorescence was the method utilized. The peak serum concentrations varied from 23 to 99 mcg/ml and only in 8 children (36%) they varied from 30 to 40 mcg/ml. In 10 cases (45%) we found valley serum concentration between 5 to 10 mcg/ml. These observations confirm the imprevisibility of serum concentrations obtained from one single recommended dose. Therefore, due to the complexity of vancomycin pharmacokinetics, the monitoring of blood levels is recommended in order to obtain therapeutic success.
Reis
A G
AG
Pronto Socorro, Instituto da Criança, Hopsital das Clinicas, FMUSP, São Paulo, SP.
Grisi
S J
SJ