Adequacy of a hospital-wide standard dose of 7mg/kg bodyweight gentamicin sufficient to achieve an adequate prophylactic maximum serum concentration (C) in burn patients undergoing surgical burn wound treatment.

Introduction: Pharmacokinetics of drugs can be significantly altered in burn patients. The aim of our study was to validate if the current hospital-wide standard dosage of 7mg/kg total bodyweight gentamicin is sufficient to achieve an adequate prophylactic C (C≥20mg/L).

Materials And Methods: A prospective observational cohort pharmacokinetic study was conducted in burn patients undergoing surgical burn wound treatment.

Results: 36/40 (90%) burn patients undergoing surgical burn wound treatment at Rotterdam Burn Centre (Maasstad Hospital), the Netherlands, achieved adequate prophylactic serum concentrations (C≥20mg/L) after a single prophylactic intravenous dose of 7mg/kg total bodyweight gentamicin. Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) burned and total bodyweight were statistically significantly correlated with the C, with correlation coefficients of -0.316, 0.443 and p values of 0.047, 0.004, respectively. Other covariates (age, time after injury, serum creatinine, dose, gender, intensive care admittance) were not statistically significantly correlated. Occurrence of postoperative infection was limited (n=1), no statistically significant difference was observed between patients with a therapeutic and patients with a subtherapeutic serum concentration.

Conclusion: The current hospital-wide standard dosage of 7mg/kg total bodyweight is sufficient to achieve an adequate prophylactic C in burn patients undergoing surgical burn wound treatment.