A preliminary study of atorvastatin plasma concentrations in critically ill patients with sepsis

Objective A lack of published pharmacokinetic data on statins in sepsis has prompted concerns about their safety and toxicity. This study determined single dose pharmacokinetics of Atorvastatin administered orally to acutely ill patients. Design, setting and participants A prospective open label study conducted in a tertiary referral centre on 5 healthy volunteers, 5 acutely ill patients admitted to the medical ward and a heterogeneous cohort of 25 critically ill patients admitted to an intensive care unit. Intervention All participants received a single oral dose of 20 mg of atorvastatin. Measurement and results Plasma pharmacokinetics of atorvastatin as measured by maximal plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the curve (AUC) 0–24 h . Critically ill patients with sepsis had a significantly higher Cmax and AUC as compared to healthy volunteers [110.5(86.5) vs. 5.9(2.50) ng/ml, p