ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze serum vancomycin concentration after administration of different therapeutic doses in children with Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia (SAP) in order to determine the appropriate dose of vancomycin in clinical administration.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 35 children who were diagnosed with SAP and treated with vancomycin from January 2008 to December 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 35 SAP cases with vancomycin therapy, 22 cases (63%) had serum vancomycin trough concentration monitored. The numbers of cases with vancomycin at 10, 12.5, and 15 mg/(kg·dose) × every 6 hours (q6h) were 11, 4 and 7, respectively. The mean serum trough concentration of vancomycin in the 15 mg/(kg·dose) group was 14.98 mg/L, which was significantly higher than in the 10 mg/(kg·dose) and 12.5 mg/(kg·dose) groups (4.97 and 8.00 mg/L respectively; P<0.05). The percentage of cases that reached the expected trough concentration in the 15 mg/(kg·dose) group (71%) was significantly higher than that in the 10 mg/(kg·dose) group (9%), but there was no significant difference in this percentage between the 15 mg/(kg·dose) and 12.5 mg/(kg·dose) groups (71% vs 25%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The reasonable dosage of vancomycin for the treatment of pediatric SAP is 15 mg/(kg·dose) × q6h or 60 mg/(kg·d).</p>