PHARMACOKINETICS OF SINGLE-DOSE INTRAVENOUS AMIKACIN IN CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS UNDERGOING SLOW HEMODIALYSIS

Objective: The pharmacokinetics of amikacin were studied in patients u ndergoing slow hemodialysis (HD). Design: Slow HD was performed at the dialysate flow rate of 30 ml/min. After a single intravenous dose of amikacin 5 mg/kg, pharmacokinetic variables were calculated by fitting individual concentration-time curves to a two-compartment open model. Patients: 6 critically ill patients with renal failure were entered i nto the study. Results: The volume of distribution was 0.35 +/- 0.03 l /kg. Total body clearance was 35.1 +/- 2.3 ml/min with an elimination half-life of 10.5 h. During a 10.5 h session of slow KD, the serum ami kacin concentration decreased from the peak level of 21.3 +/- 1.2 mg/l to 7.2 +/- 0.9 mg/l. Conclusion: Slow HD eliminate amikacin more effi ciently than other types of slowly performed renal replacement therapy and had profound effects on the pharmacokinetics. Amikacin eliminatio n by this approach should be taken into consideration for designing a dosage schedule during the treatment.