Maternal-Fetal Pharmacological Activity of Amikacin

Thirty healthy gravid patients of six to 20 weeks' gestation each received a single dose of 7.5 mg of amikacin/kg within 24 hr prior to elective hysterectomy. The half life (t½) of amikacin in maternal serum was 2.07 hr. The mean peak concentration of amikacin in the sera of these patients was slightly lower than that in nonpregnant adults. Two-thirds of the placental samples had amikacin concentrations of ⩾8 μg/g during the 20-hr interval between drug injection and delivery time. In fetal kidney the concentration of amikacin peaked at a level of 22.4 ⩾g/g at 12 hr after administration. The peak concentration of amikacin in fetal urine was 24 ⩾g/ml, and the t½ was 3.2 hr. High levels of the drug in fetal urine and low levels in fetal serum