Penetrance of nafcillin into human ventricular fluid: correlation with ventricular pleocytosis and glucose levels.

Fourteen hydrocephalic pediatric patients with suspected shunt infections were studied for penetrance of nafcillin into the ventricular fluid after intravenous administration. In seven patients with bacterial ventriculitis, the concentration of nafcillin in ventricular fluid was 0.8 to 20.4% of the peak concentration in serum. In the remaining seven patients without bacterial ventriculitis, ventricular fluid levels ranged between less than or equal to 0.02 to 4% of peak serum concentrations. Although the degree of pleocytosis correlated poorly with penetrance, ventricular fluid glucose levels correlated inversely with penetrance of nafcillin (r = -0.7275, P less than 0.001).