The Use of Ampicillin in Renal Disease

Ampicillin is the drug of choice in the treatment of many acute and chronic urinary tract infections. There have been a number of recent publications (Kunin & Finland 1959; Richet, Fabre. de Freudcnrcich & Podevin 1966; Greenberg & Sanford 1967) drawing attention to the modified dose regimes that should be adopted for various antibiotics in patients with impaired renal function. Ampicillin is a drug widely used in patients with renal failure but hitherto there have been no reports on how this antibiotic is handled in this situation. On account of this and also because of a high incidence of drug reactions noted in these patients (Gruneberg & Brumfitt 1967), we carried out the following investigations. tetracycline. Thus, in a series of patients having peritoneal dialysis, blood samples were taken at various times during the course of a dialysis for estimation of serum levels. Again, later in this part of the study in the light of results already obtained, only 50mg. ampicillin were added to each exchange and again serum levels measured at various times during the dialysis.