Paediatric pharmacological principles: an update. Part 2. Pharmacokinetics: absorption and distribution.

Abstract

Paediatric Nursing 39 DI GI TA L VI SI ON Pharmacokinetics denote the movement of drugs through the body over time, and addresses the absorption from the site of administration, distribution throughout the body, metabolism of the drug, and its elimination from the body. In everyday terms, it is viewed as what the body does to drugs after intake, regardless of the route of administration (McLeod 1999). The notion of the drug that is totally safe is a myth as no science can guarantee such a utopia and children feature highly in this note of caution. Indeed, the basic tenet in paediatric pharmacotherapeutics is ‘therapy without toxicity’. Therefore in child health care, practitioners have to weigh up the expected benefits against risks inherent in the drug in each circumstance. Pharmacological investigations are designed to improve the database of paediatric clinical pharmacology information, and make the use of drugs in the paediatric population as safe as possible. This pursuit has seen the inception of the European Network for Drug Investigation in Children in 1998, with commitment to improve both clinical use and research into drugs in children (van den Anker and Choonara 1999). Part two of this publication focuses on pharmacokinetic principles in relation to drug absorption and distribution, first addressing the general issues, then their specific application to children. Part three, which will be published in December, will cover metabolism and excretion.