Chloramphenicol Pharmacokinetics in Infants and Young Children

We measured serum chloramphenicol concentrations in 17 hospitalized pediatric patients (aged 1 month to 6 years) after intravenous infusion of chloramphenicol succinate. The serum T½ ranged from 2.1 to 8.3 hours with a mean of 3.98 (SD 1.75) hours, while the apparent volume of distribution ranged from 0.78 to 2.09 liters/kg with a mean of 1.39 (SD 0.34) liters/kg. The total body clearance ranged 0.122 to 0.429 liters/kg/hour with a mean of 0.281 (SD 0.117) liters/kg/hour. Two patients were restudied, and had increased clearance during their hospitalization. Because of the wide variability in pharmacokinetics, we conclude that serum chloramphenicol concentrations should be monitored in infants and children.