Pharmacokinetics of intramuscular carbenicillin

A 500 mg intramuscular dose of carbenicillin produced peak levels averaging 147 microgram/ml after three hours in the first day full-term newborn infants, and 172 microgram/ml after one to two hours in infants five days of age. The fall of blood levels thereafter was delayed and serum half-life averaged 4.2 and 2.2 hours in both groups, almost four times and twice as long, respectively, as that reported in adults. Absorption from the injected site was also delayed in young newborns, as was shown by the delayed serum peak and small estimated absorption rate constant. This must be taken into consideration if the intramuscular route is chosen in young newborn infants. On the basis of serum half-life, an administration interval of 12 hours was recommended for newborns younger than four days, and eight hours for those five days of age or more.