Penetration of cefotaxime into the aqueous humour of the human eye after intravenous application.

The penetration of cefotaxime, a new semi-synthetic cephalosporin, into human aqueous humour was investigated. Doses of 1 g (17 patients) and 2 g (19 patients) were administered intravenously at time intervals varying from 45 min to 4 h prior to routine cataract surgery. After the 2 g dosage the average concentration of cefotaxime in the aqueous humour was higher (P less than 0.05) and lasted longer than after the 1 g dosage. The highest average concentration in the aqueous humour after the 1 g dosage was 1.85 microgram/ml, 3.95 micrograms/ml after the 2 g dosage. Therapeutic levels were consistently found in both groups for the organisms most commonly responsible for bacterial endophthalmitis, except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis.