[Transplacental passage of gentamicin and its effect on the fetus].

The time course of gentamicin transplacental penetration was studied in women during labor. It was found that the transplacental penetration of the antibiotic was high and its levels in the fetus blood were only slightly lower than those in the mother blood. The concentration of the antibiotic in the placenta and amniotic fluid was also rather high. The experiments with rats showed that the levels of gentamicin penetration into the fetus depended on the pregnancy period: at earlier periods (13 days) the level of gentamicin transplacental penetration was 5.8 times higher than that at later periods (21 days). In high doses gentamicin produced an embryotoxic effect, therefore in treatment of pregnant women with gentamicin its therapeutic doses should not be exceeded.