Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Development and Standardization of an Ex Vivo Micromethod for Intracellular Quantification of Vincristine in Primary ALL Cells by LC-MS/MS
08:24

Development and Standardization of an Ex Vivo Micromethod for Intracellular Quantification of Vincristine in Primary ALL Cells by LC-MS/MS

Published on: January 23, 2026

171

Vancomycin dosing and target attainment in children

David Hwang1, Nan-Chang Chiu2, Lung Chang3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Journal of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infection = Wei Mian Yu Gan Ran Za Zhi
|October 15, 2015
PubMed

Insights

A 15 mg/kg dose of vancomycin every 6 hours is more effective than 10 mg/kg for achieving therapeutic vancomycin trough concentrations and AUC/MIC goals in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric pharmacology
  • Infectious disease pharmacokinetics
  • Antibiotic dosing optimization

Background:

  • Vancomycin is a critical antibiotic for treating serious Gram-positive infections.
  • Optimizing vancomycin dosing in children is essential for efficacy and safety.
  • Understanding the relationship between vancomycin exposure and clinical outcomes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the optimal vancomycin dosing strategy in pediatric patients.
  • To examine factors influencing vancomycin pharmacokinetics.
  • To correlate vancomycin area under the curve (AUC) values with trough concentrations.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 218 children (3 months to 18 years) receiving vancomycin.
  • Calculation of vancomycin clearance (CL) using a validated model.
  • Determination of AUC and AUC/MIC ratios based on dosing regimens.

Main Results:

  • Vancomycin trough concentrations moderately correlated with AUC values (r² = 0.232, p < 0.01).
  • A 15 mg/kg dose every 6 hours (q6h) resulted in significantly higher AUC and trough concentrations compared to 10 mg/kg q6h.
  • 54.3% of children on 15 mg/kg q6h achieved the target AUC/MIC (≥400), versus 9.5% on 10 mg/kg q6h.

Conclusions:

  • A vancomycin dosing regimen of 15 mg/kg/dose q6h is superior to 10 mg/kg/dose q6h in pediatric patients.
  • The higher dose regimen increases the likelihood of achieving target trough concentrations (15-20 μg/mL) and AUC/MIC goals.
  • This finding supports optimizing vancomycin dosing for improved therapeutic outcomes in children.
Abstract

Keywords:
area under curvechildrentrough concentrationvancomycin

More Related Videos

A Novel Method to Determine the Longitudinal Antibacterial Activity of Drug-Eluting Materials06:18

A Novel Method to Determine the Longitudinal Antibacterial Activity of Drug-Eluting Materials

Published on: March 3, 2023

1.9K
A Reference Broth Microdilution Method for Dalbavancin In Vitro Susceptibility Testing of Bacteria that Grow Aerobically11:28

A Reference Broth Microdilution Method for Dalbavancin In Vitro Susceptibility Testing of Bacteria that Grow Aerobically

Published on: September 9, 2015

29.9K

Related Concept Videos

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
374
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children01:29

Drug Dosing: Infants and Children

Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
769
Estimation of k and VD of Aminoglycosides01:20

Estimation of k and VD of Aminoglycosides

Aminoglycosides are a class of antibiotics used to treat various bacterial infections. Clinicians must determine the elimination rate constant (k) and volume of distribution (VD) to optimize therapeutic efficacy and minimize toxicity. The k value represents the rate at which the drug is removed from the body, and the VD reflects the degree to which the drug distributes into body tissues. Accurately estimating these parameters allows healthcare professionals to tailor drug dosing to individual...
297
Determination of Multiple Dosing Parameters: Steady-State, Minimum and Maximum Concentrations01:15

Determination of Multiple Dosing Parameters: Steady-State, Minimum and Maximum Concentrations

Gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is commonly administered via intermittent intravenous infusion to treat severe infections. An intermittent one-hour infusion of gentamicin, administered at eight-hour intervals, allows for precise control of plasma drug concentrations, minimizing toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy. Pharmacokinetic principles govern the dynamics of plasma concentrations and can be mathematically described using specific equations.The plasma drug concentration...
328
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism01:24

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism

In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses...
332
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution01:17

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight,...
464