Aminoglycoside therapy. Improving patient response and safety.

The aminoglycosides have long been effective antibiotics in treatment of serious gram-negative infections. However, ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity have been of major concern because of the narrow therapeutic range of these agents and the wide variability in pharmacokinetics among patients. With recent advances in aminoglycoside monitoring techniques, the risk of toxicity has been greatly reduced. Automated methods are now available to quickly and precisely measure aminoglycoside concentration in serum, and by applying pharmacokinetic principles to serum concentration-time data, the clinician can readily calculate the correct dosage for each patient. Programs for computers and programmable calculators, also now available, can assist in these calculations.