Gas-chromatographic quantitation of theophylline in small volumes of plasma.

We describe a rapid procedure for quantitating theophylline in 100-mul plasma samples by use of a gas-liquid chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector. This methos is especially useful for monitoring theophylline concentrations in serum or plasma of infants, because sufficiently large blood samples can be readily obtained from a heel prick. The method is specific for theophylline in the presence of caffeine, theobromine and phenobarbital. For plasma concentrations equal to or greater than 5 mg/liter the average daily coefficient of variation was less than 7% while the coefficient of variation from day to day was less than 11%. The same approach can also be used to measure concentrations of phenobarbital in small volumes of plasma or serum, and is readily adapted to determination of theophylline and phenobarbital in larger samples.