Effective vancomycin concentrations in children: a cross-sectional study

• Main Authors: Geisa Cristina da Silva Alves, Farah Maria Drumond Chequer, Cristina Sanches
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Israelita de Ensino e Pesquisa Albert Einstein
• Series: Einstein (São Paulo)
• Subjects: Testes de sensibilidade microbiana; Farmacocinética; Ações farmacológicas; Vancomicina; Criança
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1679-45082019000100211&lng=en&tlng=en

ABSTRACT Objective Analyze the microbiological effectiveness, based on the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics correlation of vancomycin in pediatric patients, and to propose dose adjustment. Methods This is an observational, cross-sectional study, conducted in a pediatric hospital, over a 1-year period (2016 to 2017). Children of both sexes, aged 2 to 12 years, were included in the study; burn children, and children in renal replacement therapy were excluded. For the pharmacokinetic analysis, two samples of 2mL of whole blood were collected, respecting the 2-hour interval between each withdrawal. Results Ten pediatric patients with median age of 5.5 years and interquartile range (IQR) of 3.2-9.0 years, median weight of 21kg (IQR: 15.5-24.0kg) and median height of 112.5cm (IQR: 95-133cm), were included. Only one child achieved trough concentrations between 10µg/mL and 15µg/mL. Conclusion The empirical use of vancomycin in the children studied did not achieve the therapeutic pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic target for minimum inhibitory concentration of 1µg/mL.