Subtherapeutic Meropenem Antibiotic Exposure in Children With Septic Shock Assessed by Noncompartmental Pharmacokinetic Analysis in a Prospective Dataset.

Objectives: To define meropenem plasma concentrations and pharmacodynamic exposure metrics in children with septic shock during the first 3 days of PICU hospitalization.

Design: Pharmacokinetic sampling was undertaken in 19 subjects receiving standard meropenem dosing (20 mg/kg/dose, 8 hr) recruited from March 2019 to March 2022. Sampling occurred once each day following meropenem given 24 hours apart, during the first 3 PICU days.