[Pharmacokinetics of cefotaxime in cirrhotic patients with or without ascites]

Pharmacokinetic values of cefotaxime were measured in 12 cirrhotic male patients (6 without ascites and 6 with ascites) after intravenous injection of a single 2 gram dose of the antibiotic. In patients without ascites elimination of the drug was about the same as in normal subjects or control patients, although clearance was increased. In patients with ascites, the drug elimination half-life was significantly more prolonged (7.5 +/- 3.9 h versus 1.3 +/- 0.4 h, P less than 0.01) and the drug clearance was significantly lower (193.6 +/- 92.4 ml/min versus 475.8 +/- 152.2 ml/min, P less than 0.01) than in the other group. The accumulation of cefotaxime in these patients produced concentration in the ascites fluid that were above the critical therapeutic values for about 20 hours.