Developmental pharmacology and therapeutics
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Once-a-day administration of amikacin in neonates: assessment of nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity.
Neonates, especially preterms, are known to have low glomerular filtration rates (GFR). This may result in elevated trough concentrations during multiple administration of aminoglycosides (AGs), potentially leading to nephro- and ototoxic reactions. The once-daily administration (q.d.) of AGs has been shown to be equally or better tolerated in adults and children than the conventional schedules (twice daily, b.i.d.; thrice daily, t.i.d.), while offering potential pharmacodynamic and nursing advantages. ⋯ Proteinuria did not increase, but enzymuria and TPL increased significantly during the treatment in both AK groups without significant difference between groups. BAEPs at day 9 were not significantly different between treated and untreated patients. We conclude from this pilot study that, in the absence of more toxicity, the q.d. administration of AK in neonates of > or = 34 weeks of gestational age may be recommended over its bid schedule in view of its potential advantages.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Patient-controlled versus conventional analgesia for postsurgical pain relief in adolescents.
We performed a randomized nonblinded, cross-over comparison of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) with conventional intramuscular analgesia in 10 adolescents (13-18 years) undergoing spinal fusion for idiopathic scoliosis. PCA use afforded more effective pain control (p < 0.02) on a 10-point linear pain intensity scale than did intramuscular injections, while causing an equal amount of sedation and no side effects. PCA appears to be a promising technique for providing postoperative pain relief in this group of adolescents. Further studies are needed to define its role for other pediatric conditions.