Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Apr;32(4):e155-63.
doi: 10.1097/INF.0b013e318286378e.

Improved vancomycin dosing in children using area under the curve exposure

Affiliations

Improved vancomycin dosing in children using area under the curve exposure

Jennifer Le et al. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2013 Apr.

Abstract

Background: : Our objectives were to (1) determine the pharmacokinetic indices of vancomycin in pediatric patients; and (2) compare attainment of 2 target exposures: area under curve (AUC) / minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥400 and trough concentration ≥15 mcg/mL.

Methods: : The population-based pharmacokinetic modeling was performed using NONMEM 7.2 for children ≥3 months old who received vancomycin for ≥48 hours from 2003 to 2011. A 1-compartment model with first-order kinetics was used to estimate clearance, volume of distribution and AUC. Empiric Bayesian post hoc individual parameters and Monte Carlo simulations (N = 11,000) were performed.

Results: : Analysis included 702 patients with 1660 vancomycin serum concentrations. Median age was 6.6 (interquartile range 2.2-13.4) years, weight 22.7 (12.6-46) kg and baseline serum creatinine 0.40 (0.30-0.60) mg/dL. Final model pharmacokinetic indices were clearance (L/h) = 0.248 * Wt * (0.48/serum creatinine) * (ln(age)/7.8) and volume of distribution (L) = 0.636 * Wt. Using these parameters and the observed MIC distribution, Monte Carlo simulation indicated that the initial median dose of 44 (39-52) mg/kg/day was inadequate in most subjects. Regimens of 60 mg/kg/day for subjects ≥12 years old and 70 mg/kg/day for those <12 years old achieved target AUC/MIC in ~75% and trough concentrations ≥15 in ~45% of virtual subjects. An AUC/MIC ~400 corresponded to trough concentration ~8 to 9 mcg/mL.

Conclusions: : Targeted exposure using vancomycin AUC/MIC, compared with trough concentrations, is a more realistic target in children. Depending on age, serum creatinine and MIC distribution, vancomycin in a dosage of 60 to 70 mg/kg/day was necessary to achieve AUC/MIC ≥ 400 in 75% of patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: J.L. has previously received investigator-initiated grants from Pfizer, Astellas and Cubist and served on the speaker’s bureau for Pfizer. E.V.C. has served as a consultant to Trius, Cerexa and Abbott Pharmaceuticals. All other authors disclose no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Exclusion Algorithm.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of Age and Serum Creatinine on Vancomycin Clearance.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effect of Age and Serum Creatinine on Vancomycin Clearance.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Observed versus Predicted Concentrations based on Individual (a) and Population Parameters (b).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Plots of Residuals in Concentrations.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Susceptibility to Vancomycin at Each Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) by Hospital.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Target Attainment by Area-under-Curve over 24 hours to Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (AUC/MIC) versus Trough (Cmin) using Monte Carlo Simulation (N = 11,000 subjects). *For Hospital A, MIC distribution for methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates was 85% for ≤ 1 and 15% for > 1 mcg/mL. **For Hospital B, MIC distribution for methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates was 68% for ≤ 1 and 32% for > 1 mcg/mL.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Probability of Achieving AUC/MIC ≥ 400 based on Serum Creatinine using Monte Carlo Simulation for Vancomycin 60 mg/kg/day. Distribution of minimum inhibitory concentration from Hospital B with 68% of methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates ≤ 1 and 32% isolates > 1 mcg/mL.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Correlation between Area-under-the-Curve and Minimum Concentration by Monte Carlo Simulation for Vancomycin 60 mg/kg/day.

References

    1. Gerber JS, Coffin SE, Smathers SA, Zaoutis TE. Trends in the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in children’s hospitals in the United States. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;49(1):65–71. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liu C, Bayer A, Cosgrove SE, et al. Clinical practice guidelines by the infectious diseases society of america for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in adults and children. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(3):e18–55. - PubMed
    1. Welsh KJ, Abbott AN, Lewis EM, et al. Clinical characteristics, outcomes, and microbiologic features associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in pediatric patients treated with vancomycin. J Clin Microbiol. 2010;48(3):894–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rybak M, Lomaestro B, Rotschafer JC, et al. Therapeutic monitoring of vancomycin in adult patients: a consensus review of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2009;66(1):82–98. - PubMed
    1. Kullar R, Davis SL, Levine DP, Rybak MJ. Impact of vancomycin exposure on outcomes in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: support for consensus guidelines suggested targets. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52(8):975–81. - PubMed

Publication types