Single dose intravenous pharmacokinetics of fluconazole in infants.

The present report contains an open, non-comparative study of the plasma pharmacokinetics of a single intravenous dose (3 mg/kg) of the antimycotic agent fluconazole in infants, aged between 9 days and 4.4 months (n = 14), who were either suffering from or regarded as being susceptible to fungal infection. The mean volume of distribution was calculated as 1.17 l/kg, with a range between 0.76 and 2.60 l/kg; the comparable value for adult volunteers was 0.65 +/- 0.08 l/kg (1). The mean total clearance was calculated as 0.63 +/- 0.06 ml/min x kg; the comparable value for adult volunteers was 0.25 +/- 0.04 ml/min x kg (1). The terminal half-life of elimination was calculated as 22.5 +/- 2.2 h; the comparable value for adult volunteers was 30.2 +/- 3.8 h (1). It is suggested that this difference was caused by the countervailing effects of the changes with age in clearance and in volume of distribution.