A Microcomputer Program for Tobramycin Consult Services, Based on the Two-Compartment Pharmacokinetic Model

Abstract

A microcomputer program has been developed to provide assistance to tobramycin clinical pharmacokinetic consult services. Written for the Apple II Plus computer with 64 K memory, one-disk drive, and a dot matrix graphics printer, this software is user-oriented and simple to operate. The program disk contains complete documentation and referenced instructions. Major sections provide empiric dosing recommendations based on population data and allow determination of dosage from measured serum concentrations. The program keeps a record of previous regimens, allows for the entry of the user's own recommendation, and provides complete flexibility for up to 15 dosage and interval changes. In addition to its dosing information and file management capabilities, the program simulates serum concentration profiles based on user-selected one-compartment, two-compartment, or two-compartment prenephrotoxic models. The program prints a consult sheet with concentration vs. time simulation, patient demographic data, and user-entered recommendations and comments. The program provides extensive disk storage capabilities for patient files, with immediate access to facilitate updating and dosing regimen changes as they occur. In addition to providing improvements in empiric dosing capabilities, pharmacokinetic modeling, and data handling, this computer software has been designed to incorporate pharmacokinetic data derived from important subpopulations into the empiric dosing algorithms. This unique aspect enables the program to provide improved empiric dosing regimens for patients who do not fall under the guidelines for any of the conventional aminoglycoside dosing nomograms.