A comparison of two ranitidine intravenous infusion regimens in critically ill patients

The effect of two ranitidine intravenous infusion regimens on intragastric pH was studied in 134 critically ill patients admitted to 15 intensive care units. Intragastric pH was determined hourly for 30 hours. Those patients whose intragastric acidity fell below pH 4.0 for 3 or more of the first 6 hours were considered 'at risk' of developing stress-related gastric lesions and randomized to receive a 50 mg bolus of ranitidine together with a continuous intravenous infusion of either 0.125 or 0.25 mg kg-1 h-1 ranitidine for 24 hours. The maximal elevation in intragastric pH was achieved within 12 hours. The median intragastric pH for the last 20 hours of the infusion period was 5.9 for the higher dose group and 5.6 for the lower dose group. The increase in intragastric pH achieved by the two dosage regimens did not differ significantly throughout the 24 hour period. Patients having two or more of five major risk factors (head injury, major trauma, sepsis, respiratory failure/insufficiency and major surgery) had better overall control of intragastric pH on the higher dose of ranitidine than those receiving the lower dose. The majority of intensive care patients are likely to receive satisfactory treatment with the lower dosage regimen that was tested (0.125 mg kg-1 h-1). Those with multiple risk factors may, however, require treatment with higher doses of ranitidine (0.25 mg kg-1 h-1).