Neonatal pharmacodynamics--basic principles. I: Drug delivery

The concepts of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are summarized for the clinician who cares for the neonatal patient. Six important pharmacologic principles are simplified and presented in a fashion that should facilitate recall. This article presents the first three concepts: (1) the various methods of drug administration and membrane transport, (2) the essentials of drug delivery to the site of action (pharmacokinetics), and (3) methods for maintaining drug at the site of action. The "body compartment" concept, utilized in pharmacokinetic modeling, is also defined and contrasted to real anatomic body compartments.