Prophylactic low-dose vancomycin treatment in very-low-birth-weight infants.

For the prophylaxis of septicemia with coagulase-negative staphylococci in a high-risk very-low-birth-weight population, we administered 5 mg/kg of vancomycin every 12 h. Distribution volume and half-life of vancomycin were determined. Serum peak and trough levels were obtained on day 3 of treatment. With this low-dose regimen, serum concentrations in the therapeutic range were achieved in 35 of the 45 patients. Distribution volume and half-life were 0.692 liters/kg and 7.4 h, respectively. The distribution volume was not related to the gestational age; the half-life in the group of patients with a gestational age < 30 weeks was considerably higher. The 10 small-for-gestational-age children had a significantly smaller distribution volume. The vancomycin trough levels correlated with the serum creatinine concentrations and, therefore, with the gestational age. Our study indicates that this low vancomycin dose is sufficient in very-low-birth-weight infants to achieve therapeutic serum levels, being suitable for both prophylaxis and sepsis therapy.