Arterial and venous blood samplings in pharmacokinetic studies: vancomycin in rabbits

The pharmacokinetics of vancomycin were evaluated simultaneously using both arterial and venous plasma data in five rabbits after a rapid bolus intravenous (i.v.) dosing. Initial arterial to venous concentration ratios at 5 s after i.v. injection were the highest, with values of 27.1, 36.2, 36.6, 43.7 and 29.7 for rabbits 1-5, respectively. This could be the result of diffusion of vancomycin from the arterial plasma into the extravascular tissues. Both curves decayed in parallel at the terminal phase with the venous levels higher than the arterial levels by 23, 37, 34, 13 and 14% for rabbits 1-5, respectively. This difference could be the result of continuous release of vancomycin from the extravascular tissues to the venous blood. Detailed analysis showed differences in various pharmacokinetic parameters based on arterial and venous data. For example, values for venous Vc were 9.2, 11, 1.9, 7.2 and 8.8 times greater than the arterial values for rabbits 1-5, respectively. The values for both venous Vss and MRT were higher than those of the arterial values in all five rabbits studied. This could be due to more extensive distribution of vancomycin in the extravascular tissues. A plot of 1/Q (urine flow rate) versus 1/ClR of vancomycin yielded a straight line in rabbits 6-10, indicating that the renal clearance of vancomycin in rabbits is dependent upon urine flow.