Establishment and application of population pharmacokinetics model of vancomycin in infants with meningitis.

Background: To establish a population pharmacokinetics (PPK) model of vancomycin (VCM) for dose individualization in Chinese infants with meningitis.

Methods: We collected the data of 82 children with meningitis in hospital from July 2014 to June 2016. The initial vancomycin dosage regimen for children was 10 or 15 mg/kg for q12 h, q8 h or q6 h. Serum concentrations were determined by Viva-E Analyzer before and after the fifth administration. The PPK model was developed by nonlinear mixed-effect model software, assessed by the bootstrap method and then tested in 20 infant patients.

Results: The VCM clearance (CL) was increased by body weight (WT) and decreased by blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Pharmacokinetic parameters of VCM were not influenced by co-administered drugs. The trough concentrations of VCM were accurately predicted by the PPK model, with the prediction errors less than 32%.

Conclusion: A new individual strategy for VCM regimens was proposed and validated by the PPK model.