Dr Jaela Fredenrich, ID Clinical Pharmacist at the James A Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, FL, discusses the differences that a clinician encounters when dosing antibiotic agents for patients with higher than average BMI values. She begins by describing the reasons why obese patients require special antibiotic dosing, and how the average weight of the typical U.S. adult has changed in the past several decades, making more patients fall into this category. Next, she discusses the specifics of the AUC/MIC concentration-time curve as it applies to aminoglycosides, vancomycin and beta lactams. The differences in volume of distribution for various classes of antibiotics is discussed next. Weight based versus fixed dosing for different antibiotic classes is also covered. Lastly the best resources for guidance in antibiotic dosing are shared with the audience.
Stay in touch! Download our app in the iTunes store or the Google Marketplace.
