[Aminoglycoside treatment II: Dosage regimes at the departments of internal medicine in Denmark].

The aim of this study was to get a general view of the habitual practice of the usage of aminoglycosides in Danish medical departments, regarding choice of drug, dosage regimen and monitoring of drug-related toxicity, as this antimicrobial agent is commonly used in Danish hospitals against severe infections in spite of the potential for nephro- and ototoxicity. The survey, taking place in 1991 and in 1994, showed that gentamicin and netfilmicin were preferred as first choice with an equal frequency in university and county hospital department, whereas in departments in small hospitals gentamicin was preferred twice as often. From 1991 to 1994 the dosage regimen most commonly used had altered from thrice-a-day to once-a-day. Monitoring of serum levels of the drug was performed on all treated patients in fifty-two of the seventy-nine departments questioned. Most of the departments also monitored the kidney function.