The pharmacological and clinical aspects of using gentamicin in cardiac surgery

Abstract

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a serious postoperative complication after cardiac surgery. The objective of this research is to examine the efficacy of administering gentamicin in minimizing the incidence of SSI while closely monitoring the therapeutic level of the drug. Prospective research included 50 Iraqi patients divided into two groups, 25 in each: Group 1 received a combination of flucloxacillin and ceftriaxone, while Group 2 received a combination of flucloxacillin and gentamicin 2 mg/kg of ideal body weight given before surgery, then 80 mg*3 for 48 hours after surgery. A total of five patients had an infection at the surgical site, with four patients in Group 1 and one patient in Group 2. Additionally, two patients in each group exhibited increased renal indices. Among the patients in Group 2, the highest concentration of gentamicin in the blood was ≤ 2.5 µg/ml for eight patients, while for 17 patients, the gentamicin concentration in the blood ranged from 3 to 4.4 µg/ml.