Sisomicin treatment of serious neonatal infections. A clinical and pharmacokinetic study

23 infants, 20 of which had verified or clinically highly suspected serious infections in the neonatal period, were treated with a new antibiotic aminoglycoside, sisomicin, i.m. in doses from 2.8 to 6.6 mg/kg/24 h. Clinical cure was obtained in 18 of 20 caes, and marked improvement in one case. Adverse effects were only observed in two infants with tenderness at the injection sites. Serum concentrations and half-life estimations showed that the concentrations were similar to those obtained for gentamicin, and that half-life was independent of postnatal age, but highly correlated to the gestational age and to body weight. Consideration should therefore be given to the prolonged half-life of the drug in immature and low birth weight infants.