Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Antibiotics in Critically Ill Children: An Observational Study in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: Septic critically ill children are at a high risk of inadequate antibiotic exposure, requiring them to undergo therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). The aim of this study was to describe the use of TDM for antibiotics in critically ill children. METHODS: The authors conducted a single-center observational study between June and December 2019, with all children treated with antibiotics in a pediatric intensive care unit located in a French university hospital. Standard clinical and laboratory data were recorded. Blood samples were collected for routine laboratory tests, and plasma antibiotic levels were assayed using validated analytical methods. RESULTS: A total of 209 children received antibiotics. TDM was performed in 58 patients (27.8%) who had a greater mean organ dysfunction (according to the International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference) (3 versus 1 in the non-TDM group; P < 0.05) and were treated with antibiotics for longer. A total of 208 samples were analyzed. The median [interquartile range] assay turnaround time was 3 (1-5) days, and 48 (46.2%) of the 104 initial antibiotic concentration values were below the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic targets. A total of 34 (46%) of the 74 off-target TDM measurements available before the end of the antibiotic treatment prompted dose adjustment. This dose adjustment increased the proportion of on-target TDM measurements (70% versus 20% without adjustment). Subsequent measurements of the minimum inhibitory concentration showed that the use of the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing's epidemiological cutoff values led to underestimation of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic target attainment in 10 cases (20%). CONCLUSIONS: TDM seems to be an effective means of optimizing antibiotic exposure in critically ill children. This requires timely plasma antibiotic assays and minimum inhibitory concentration measurements. It is important to define which patients should undergo TDM and how this monitoring should be managed.

Challenges regarding analysis of unbound fraction of highly bound protein antiretroviral drugs in several biological matrices: lack of harmonisation and guidelines.

The unbound drug concentration in plasma is usually considered the only active fraction; thus the binding of a drug to a protein limits its pharmacological actions. This is of special importance for those highly bound drugs. Therefore, binding studies can be of great utility for those drugs where relationship between free and total drug concentration is variable among patients, or it can be altered by some condition or disease, or even by interactions with other drugs. However, there is a lack of validation guidelines for the determination of unbound concentrations. Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), protease inhibitors (PIs), efavirenz and nevirapine are highly bound to proteins. Here, we present a review on the overall methods for the study of unbound fractions of highly bound plasma protein ARVs. We also provide a critical evaluation of the methods applied, their differences and the main points to be controlled and validated.

High levels and safety of oseltamivir carboxylate plasma concentrations after nasogastric administration in critically ill children in a pediatric intensive care unit.

During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemics, the concentrations of oseltamivir (O) and its active metabolite (oseltamivir carboxylate [OC]) were determined in 11 children (1 month to 16 years of age) admitted to intensive care units for presumed severe H1N1 infection. They received oseltamivir phosphate (OP) nasogastrically at doses between 1.5 and 6.8 mg/kg of body weight. High OC concentrations were found, with a mean level of 678 ± 535 µg/liter. The mean OP concentration was 27 ± 52 µg/liter. No marked side effect was reported.