Amikacin Dosing and Monitoring in Spinal Cord Injury Patients: Variation in Clinical Practice Between Spinal Injury Units and Differences in Experts’ Recommendations

This study looks at how amikacin, an antibiotic, is used in spinal cord injury patients. It found that there's a lot of variation in how different hospitals and experts dose and monitor this drug. Some hospitals use it once a day, others multiple times. Some monitor drug levels in the blood, others don't. Experts also disagree on the best way to use amikacin in these patients. Because of these differences, the study suggests that there is a need for better guidelines on how to use amikacin in spinal cord injury patients to make sure it is both safe and effective.

• 1
  Clinical practice varies considerably across spinal units regarding amikacin administration, with some using once-daily dosing and others using divided doses.
• 2
  Experts hold differing opinions on the ideal dosing and monitoring of amikacin therapy in spinal cord injury patients.
• 3
  Some spinal units do not monitor serum amikacin concentrations unless the patient has renal impairment, while others adjust the dose/interval based on pharmacokinetic parameters.