[Ceftriaxone therapy for pediatric infections]

The pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone (Ro 13-9904, CTRX) was studied in 14 children receiving a dose of 10, 20 mg/kg or 1 g as a intravenous bolus. The mean half-lives of CTRX were 4.5, 6.3 +/- 0.5 and 5.2 +/- 0.7 hours, respectively, while the urinary recovery rates up to 12 hours were 51.7, 48.6 and 48.9%. Forty-one patients, aged 2 months to 10 years, were treated with an intravenous dosage of 10 to 58 mg/kg CTRX every 12 hours for 2 to 29 days. The diseases consisted of upper respiratory tract infections (4), bronchitis (7), pneumonia (18), pyothorax (2), urinary tract infections (4), pertussis (4), meningitis (1) and endocarditis (1). Clinical cures were achieved in 38 cases, overall clinical response rate being 92.7%. No serious side effects were observed, although mild diarrhea was seen in 2 cases.