A pharmacokinetic study of bacampicillin in patients with chronic maxillary sinusitis

The penetration of ampicillin into sinus mucosa and secretion after oral bacampicillin was studied in 30 patients subjected to radical maxillary sinus surgery. Bacampicillin in a dose of 1200 mg was administered orally before the operation and the concentrations in serum, sinus mucosa and secretion were assayed. The mean serum concentration (+/- SEM) reached its maximum of 13.4 +/- 1.2 micrograms/ml in about one hour. The mean concentrations in the secretion and mucosa after two to five hours were 1.6 +/- 0.5 micrograms/ml and 1.6 +/- 0.4 micrograms/ml respectively. The clinical course of the patients was mostly uneventful. Adverse effects probably caused by the drug were found in two cases.