Chloe Thabet1, Chloe C C Gottlieb1,2,3, Bernard R Hurley1,2,3, Guijun Zhang3, Adeel Sherazi4, Jonathan B Angel5,6,7. 1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. 2. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. 3. Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada. 4. Department of Medicine, Division on Infectious Diseases, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. 5. Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. jangel@ohri.ca. 6. Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada. jangel@ohri.ca. 7. Department of Medicine, Division on Infectious Diseases, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. jangel@ohri.ca.
Abstract
IMPORTANCE: The role of systemic antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis remains controversial. While penicillin is a highly effective antibiotic against bacteria that frequently cause endophthalmitis, the ability of systemically administered Penicillin G to penetrate into the vitreous at adequate therapeutic concentrations has not been studied. Its role in the treatment of endophthalmitis, particularly for bacteria for which it is the antibiotic of choice, therefore remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether intravenous administration of Penicillin G leads to adequate therapeutic concentrations in the vitreous for the treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis. DESIGN AND SETTING: This study was conducted in an ambulatory setting, at the Ottawa Hospital Eye Institute, a university-affiliated tertiary care center, where a 77-year old gentleman with chronic post-cataract surgery Actinomyces neuii endophathalmitis was treated with intravenous Penicillin G (4 × 106 units every 4 h) and intravitreal ampicillin (5000μg/0.1 m1). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Intravitreal concentration of Penicillin G and ampicillin were obtained at the time of intraocular lens removal, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: The intravitreal concentration of penicillin and ampicillin was 3.5μg/ml and 0.3μg/ml, respectively. Both the concentration of penicillin and ampicillin were within the level of detection of their respective assays (penicillin 0.06-5μg/ml, ampicillin 0.12-2.5μg/ml). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: This study shows that intravenous Penicillin G administered every four-hours allows for adequate intravitreal concentrations of penicillin. Future studies are required to determine if the results of this study translate into improved clinical outcomes.
IMPORTANCE: The role of systemic antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis remains controversial. While penicillin is a highly effective antibiotic against bacteria that frequently cause endophthalmitis, the ability of systemically administered Penicillin G to penetrate into the vitreous at adequate therapeutic concentrations has not been studied. Its role in the treatment of endophthalmitis, particularly for bacteria for which it is the antibiotic of choice, therefore remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether intravenous administration of Penicillin G leads to adequate therapeutic concentrations in the vitreous for the treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis. DESIGN AND SETTING: This study was conducted in an ambulatory setting, at the Ottawa Hospital Eye Institute, a university-affiliated tertiary care center, where a 77-year old gentleman with chronic post-cataract surgery Actinomyces neuii endophathalmitis was treated with intravenous Penicillin G (4 × 106 units every 4 h) and intravitreal ampicillin (5000μg/0.1 m1). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Intravitreal concentration of Penicillin G and ampicillin were obtained at the time of intraocular lens removal, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: The intravitreal concentration of penicillin and ampicillin was 3.5μg/ml and 0.3μg/ml, respectively. Both the concentration of penicillin and ampicillin were within the level of detection of their respective assays (penicillin 0.06-5μg/ml, ampicillin 0.12-2.5μg/ml). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: This study shows that intravenous Penicillin G administered every four-hours allows for adequate intravitreal concentrations of penicillin. Future studies are required to determine if the results of this study translate into improved clinical outcomes.
Authors: Michael Engelbert; Herminia Miño de Kaspar; Martin Thiel; Thomas Grasbon; Christopher N Ta; Markus Schulze-Schwering; Volker Klauss; Anselm Kampik Journal: Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol Date: 2004-02-24 Impact factor: 3.117