Pharmacokinetics of ceftazidime in patients with renal insufficiency and in those undergoing hemodialysis.

The pharmacokinetics of ceftazidime, a new cephalosporin antibiotic, were studied in 7 healthy volunteers and 32 patients with renal insufficiency after a single 500-mg intravenous injection. The mean plasma half-life during beta-phase was 1.67 h in normal subjects and was prolonged to 15.09 h in hemodialysis patients. There were significant correlations between the elimination rate constant and the creatinine clearance, and between the beta-phase rate constant and the creatinine clearance. The mean urinary recovery during 24 h amounted to 89.6% of the dose in normal subjects and decreased with the lowering of renal function. The plasma levels during hemodialysis were lower than those between hemodialyses.