Indications & Dosage

Indications:

The principal use of Gentamicin is for the treatment of severe systemic infections for which less toxic antibacterials are ineffective or ceontraindicated. Gentamicin Sulfate is a broad spectrum aminoglycoside antibiotic which is effective against a wide range of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative bacteria. It is an ideal choice of treatment in infections of resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is a bactericidal and acts by interfering with the synthesis of bacterial proteins.
It is indicated in:
Septicaemia and other severe infections due to aerobic Gram-Negative bacilli.
Urinary Tract Infections
Staphylococcal Infections
Bacterial Endocarditis
Gastro-enteritis
Chemoprophylaxis in abdominal surgery
Biliary tract infections

Dosage and Administration

Adults: 3-5 mg/kg/body weight every 8 hours depending on severity of the infection. Slightly lower doses in the prophylaxis and treatment of streptococcal endocarditis. The course of treatment should generally be limited to 7 to 10 days. As gentamicin is poorly distributed into fatty tissue dosage calculations should be used on an estimate of lean body weight.

Infants and children: 3mg/kg every 12 hours in premature infants and those up to 2 weeks of age, with older neonates and children receiving 2mg/kg every 8 hours. It is recommended that dosage should be adjusted in all patients according to plasma-gentamicin concentration, and this is particularly important where factors such as age, renal impairment, or high dose may predispose to toxicity, or where there is a risk of sub-therapeutic concentrations.