Hydrogen-ion potential of antibiotics according to the environment factors temperature and luminosity.

The objective of this experimental study was to measure the pH of antibiotics administered by intravenous infusion--ceftriaxone sodium, vancomycin hydrochloride, metrodinazole, penicillin G potassium and amikacin sulfate--after reconstitution with sterile water and dilution with NaCl 0.9% or dextrose 5% in water, according to temperature and luminosity of the environment. The results showed that variation in the drugs' pH was less than 1.0 value and that some antibiotics remained acidic after dilution and maintained this chemical profile in all situations studied, suggesting that the studied environmental factors did not change the solutions' acid base characteristic. Some pH values measured characterize risk for the development of chemical phlebitis and infiltration, and it is important for clinical practice to emphasize the profile of intravenous solutions of antibiotics, considering method of dilution, and time to infusion.