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Original Articles: Cardiovascular

In Vivo Microdialysis to Measure Antibiotic Penetration Into Soft Tissue During Cardiac Surgery

^a Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, University of Vienna, General Hospital, Vienna, Austria
^b Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Vienna, General Hospital, Vienna, Austria
^c Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Vienna, General Hospital, Vienna, Austria

Accepted for publication June 19, 2007.

^_* Address correspondence to Dr Tschernko, Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Vienna General Hospital, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, Vienna, A-1090, Austria (Email: edda.tschernko{at}meduniwien.ac.at).

Background: Wound infections remain an important problem after cardiac surgery despite antimicrobial prophylaxis, causing increased mortality, morbidity, and costs. Penetration properties of antibiotics are altered by extracorporeal circulation, fluid resuscitation, surgery, and postoperative treatment measures. So far, interstitial antibiotic concentration has not been measured continuously during surgery. It remains uncertain whether the concentration of the prophylactic antibiotic is sufficient in interstitial tissue. Therefore, we measured interstitial concentrations of cefazolin in vivo during cardiac surgery.

Methods: Seven patients undergoing aortic valve replacement were studied in this prospective, observational, pharmacokinetic study. Cefazolin, 4 g, was administered before skin incision and additionally 2 g during skin closure. Microdialysis, an in vivo approach, was used to measure unbound interstitial drug concentrations.

Results: Cefazolin plasma concentration rose to a peak of 443 µg/mL (range, 169 to 802 µg/mL) within 20 minutes (range, 20 to 40 minutes). The maximum of interstitial concentration of cefazolin was observed within 60 minutes after antibiotic administration. Cefazolin tissue levels exceeded minimum inhibitory concentration values for most potential wound pathogens for more than 600 minutes after infusion. The maximum drug concentration of cefazolin in subcutaneous interstitial fluid was 22.6% of maximum plasma levels, comparable with 19.4% in muscular tissue.

Conclusions: Cefazolin, administered in the high dose used at our institution, is effective for prevention against infection with the most prevalent pathogens during and immediately after cardiac surgery. Additionally, our data show that it is important to reevaluate clinical dosing schemas by means of direct in vivo measurements.