Studies on serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels of cephacetrile in neonates.

The serum half-life of cephacetrile and its penetration from the serum into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was determined in 33 premature and full-term neonates. On an average the serum half-life was 3.6 hours in children with a birth weight above 1,500 g; in children with a birth weight below 1,500 g it was 5.1 hours. The penetration volume of cephacetrile into CSF was higher and the rate of penetration faster in neonates with meningeal infections than in those without. The highest CSF concentrations were reached 2-4 hours after drug application (2.6-25.8 mcg/ml in infants with bacterial meningitis and 1.8-15.2 mcg/ml in infants without).