Introduction:

Monitoring plasma concentrations of antimicrobials used to treat infections in critically ill patients is one of the strategies proposed to improve clinical results. Vancomycin monitoring reduces the risk of bacterial resistance and nephrotoxicity related to high plasma concentrations. The study was carried out in a public hospital in the province of Córdoba, Argentina, which contains 43 critical patient care units. Although the indication for vancomycin is frequent, the request for plasma levels of drugs is unusual.

Method:

The Pharmacy Service carried out a prospective pilot study for 14 weeks, implementing the monitoring of plasma vancomycin concentrations and the calculation of the ABC24/MIC index (area under the concentration-time curve over a 24-hour period/inhibitory concentration minimum).

Objectives:

To determine the percentage of patients with trough plasma concentrations outside the therapeutic range described in the literature and the dose that would be necessary to obtain an ABC24/CIM ≥400.

Results:

36 requests for vancomycin monitoring were made in 31 patients. 78% of the determined plasma concentrations were outside the therapeutic range and only in 8 patients was an ABC24/CIM ≥400 obtained.

Conclusions:

This study was the first step to implement clinical pharmacokinetics in the institution and showed the importance of therapeutic monitoring and dose individualization. In critically ill patients with high creatinine clearance, higher doses than those used in this study would be required.

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