Risk of underdosing of ampicillin/sulbactam in patients with acute kidney injury undergoing extended daily dialysis--a single case.

The fixed antibacterial combination of ampicillin and sulbactam is frequently used for various infections. The normal kidneys eliminate approximately 60% of ampicillin (371.39 Da) and sulbactam (255.22 Da). Concomitant with the decline in renal function, the terminal elimination half-life increases from 1 up to 24 h in patients with ESRD. Patients on three times weekly low flux haemodialysis exhibit a half-life of 2.3 h on and 17.4 h off dialysis. In contrast, in the present observation the elimination half-life in a single patient with acute kidney injury undergoing extended daily dialysis (EDD) with a polysulphone membrane was 1.5 h, indicating that the current dosing regimen for haemodialysis outpatients (ampicillin/sulbactam 2.0/1.0 g/day) would result in a significant underdosing for patients undergoing EDD.