[On the pharmacokinetics of gentamycin. / Clinico-pharmacological study on the course of gentamycin concentrations in serum during large-volume infusions (author's transl)].

Infusions of large volumes have a remarkable influence on the blood levels of gentamycin insofar that with normal dosages no effective concentrations can be found in the serum of the patient. The present investigation was planned as a pharmacokinetic model with the aim of finding out the possible reasons for this phenomenon. The results show that the infusions enhance the total clearance tremendously. Furthermore the elimination half-life of gentamycin is much shorter under infusion conditions. This explains the subtherapeutic blood levels.