Ampicillin-Clearance bei Kindern mit angeborenen Herzfehlern und Herzinsuffizienz

In 6 healthy adults and in 10 small children with congenital heart defects and heart failure, the pharmacokinetics of ampicillin during and after continuous infusion (over a period of 4 hrs) were compared. There was no significant difference in biological half-life (on average 1 hr) between these two groups. In 5 children with transposition of the great arteries, ampicillin plasma levels during the 4th hr of continuous infusion were twice as high as in the other patients with hearts defects. In all patients ampicillin was excreted normally. In conclusion, then ampicillin may be given in normal dosages despite heart defects in small children.