The aim of the present study was to investigate if the severity of illness affected the pharmacokinetics of cefuroxime in 11 children diagnosed with multiple organ system failure. The patients were assigned to a severely ill group (group 1), a very severely ill group (group 2), or a control group (group 0). Blood samples were taken and cefuroxime concentrations were measured in plasma by HPLC after the first intravenous infusion of 100 mg of cefuroxime per kg of body weight. The pharmacokinetic profile of cefuroxime exhibited both one and two compartmental distribution. Statistically significant differences between the pharmacokinetic parameters of the severe (group 1) and the very severe patients (group 2) were found, and significant differences (pϽ0.05) in the pharmacokinetic parameters between groups 1 and 2 vs. the control group were observed for most of the parameters analyzed. However, there was no statistical difference in clearance between group 1 and the control group. The data indicate that the pharmacokinetic differences determined by severity of disease are useful for establishing an individualized regimen dosage in children with multiple organ system failure.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.