Serum Amikacin Levels And Hearing In Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) Infants

Objectives: To assess hearing in the very low birth weight infants receiving amikacin for 7 and 14 days; and to study the relationship of serum amikacin levels with hearing. Study design: Single Centre, Non Randomized Prospective Parallel Group, Assessor Blind Study. Setting: Tertiary care neonatal unit of a teaching hospital. Participants: 30 VLBW infants who received amikacin for 7 days, 3 0 VLBW infants who received amikacin for 14 days and 30 VLBW infants who did not receive amikacin. None had any other risk factor for hearing impairment. Intervention: Amikacin administration as per their setting of indication. Outcome measures: Serum amikacin levels and hearing assessment. Results: Mean trough serum amikacin level (mu g/ml) was 6.85 +/- 2.49 in 7 days amikacin group; and 1 5.2 +/- 3.4 1 in 1 4 days amikacin group. Mean peak serum amikacin level (mu g/mL) was 1 4.5 +/- 3.16 in 7 days amikacin group; and 24.8 +/- 3.95 in 14 days amikacin group. All were normal on hearing assessment. Conclusion: Use of amikacin is safe in VLBW infants in therapeutic dosages in the absence of any other risk factors for hearing impairment and the monitoring of serum amikacin levels is advisable but not mandatory.