Prolonged Excretion of Gentamicin in Patients with Normal Renal Function

Gentamycin, like the other aminoglycosides, is potentially oto- and nephrotoxic. Despite ten years of clinical experiance it is still not possible to predict the occurrence of oto- and/ or nephrotoxic incidences in a given patient. Vestibular calamities occur unexpectedly, sometimes considerable time after therapy has been discontinued (Jao and Jackson, -64). Renal function impairment, although often slight and transient, seems to be more frequent than was originally supposed (Mosegaard et al., -75). A better understanding of the pharmacokinetic properties of the drug is a necessity to ensure optimal therapeutic effect while at the same time avoiding the oto- and nephrotoxic incidences.