Pharmacokinetics of amikacin in hematologic malignancies

The pharmacokinetics of amikacin in 10 patients with hematologic malignancies and 1 patient with aplastic anemia were investigated. At an administered dose of 7 mg/kg of body weight, a volume of distribution of 0.4 liters/kg, an elimination half-life of 3.0 h, and a total body clearance of 2.1 ml/min per kg, amikacin achieved a peak level in blood of 21 micrograms/ml. Results of the study revealed that there was a marked increase in volume of distribution of amikacin in these patients compared with normal.