Pharmacokinetic longitudinal studies of antibiotics administered via a permanent intraosseous device in micropigs

Background. In critically ill children, intraosseous (IO) administration of a medicine provides an alternate Vascular access route when IV access is not readily available. We investigated the short and long-term efficacy and safety of a totally intraosseously implantable device. Procedure. This study was undertaken in micropigs (i) to compare serum levels achieved by equal bolus dosages of two antibiotics (amikacin and vancomycin) administered through an intratibial needle, an intraosseous implantable device and central IV routes to determine whether standard parenteral dosing guidelines for antibiotics may be applied without modification for IO injection, and (ii) to show the efficiency of the implantable device over a prolonged period, as a permanent access to intraosseous space. Results. The area under the plasma concentration time curves were similar for IV, intratibial and through the intraosseous implantable device, for intermittent administrations of amikacin and vancomycin, over a period of 6 months. However, vancomycin did not reach therapeutic levels via both IO routes. We did not find any alteration of amikacin and vancomycin pharmacokinetics over a period of 6 months using the implantable device. No complication occurred. Conclusions. Long-term administration of antibiotics through a totally implantable intraosseous device is feasible and safe in micropigs. Although the procedure seems promising, additional studies of the continuous infusion of chemotherapeutic agents, blood products and antimicrobial solutions are needed prior to use in humans, (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.