Blood concentration monitoring and renal function changes during gentamicin administration for infective endocarditis: a retrospective observational study

Established guidelines for monitoring gentamicin blood concentration are lacking; therefore, we focused on improving pharmacological interventions and ensuring their safety. We aimed to optimize gentamicin administration for infective endocarditis (IE) treatment.

The study involved adult patients diagnosed with IE and treated with gentamicin from January 2014 to December 2022. Clinical presentation and drug therapy regimen were comprehensively evaluated. We performed a retrospective chart review of the frequency of gentamicin dose adjustments and changes in renal function while on gentamicin. In addition, we attempted to extract risk factors for renal impairment using univariate analysis.

On average, a 7.1% decline [changed to − 6.7 ± 20.4 (standard deviation) mL/min/1.73 m²] in the estimated glomerular filtration rate was observed after gentamicin administration, but it was statistically insignificant. Notably, 58% of patients required dosage adjustments, with a subset requiring multiple adjustments. Among the cases in which dosage adjustments were made, 61% were within the first week of treatment. There were no patients with gentamicin levels below the target peak concentration. Furthermore, no independent risk factors were identified in patients requiring dose reduction.

Dose adjustment was necessary in many cases after treatment initiation. The time to dose adjustment varied widely. These findings highlight the importance of consistent blood concentration monitoring in patients of all demographics, at least weekly, and underscore that routine peak concentration assessments may not be essential when a 3 μg/mL target is maintained. This study provides information on monitoring gentamicin blood level, which can improve IE treatment safety.