Penetration of gentamicin into heart valves, subcutaneous and muscular tissue of patients undergoing open heart surgery.

Concentrations of gentamicin in plasma, heart valves, subcutaneous tissue and muscle were determined in 38 patients undergoing open heart surgery. Gentamicin reached peak levels in plasma and tissue within 60 min after a 5 min intravenous bolus injection of 1.5 mg/kg body weight. Subcutaneous and muscle concentrations varied between 0.51 microgram/g and 2.1 microgram/g. Gentamicin peak concentrations in cardiac valvar tissue wre 3.6 mug/g between 2 and 5 hours after administration; gentamicin heart valve concentrations varied between 1.2 microgram/g and 1.59 microgram/g. Gentamicin tissue concentrations during open heart surgery are high enough to inhibit most Klebsiella/Enterobacter and Staphylococcus aureus and epidermidis strains. However Gentamicin heart valve concentrations do not exceed 1.5 microgram/g for more than 1 h, which may explain treatment failures of patients with endocarditis.