We performed a retrospective study to evaluate clinical effectiveness of vancomycin loading strategy and factors associated with achieving optimal C min. Patients administered vancomycin for ≥72 h from January to June 2018 were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups: loading (LD) and non-loading (NLD). LD was defined as initial vancomycin dose ≥20 mg/kg and ≥120% of maintenance dose. During study period, 70 and 71 received initial LD (24.2 ± 2.5 mg/kg) and NLD (17.3 ± 3.3 mg/kg) doses of vancomycin, respectively (p < .001). Achievement of optimal C min was not different before administration of the third dose (24.4% in LD versus 18.2% in NLD, p = .484) and within 72 h (22.9% versus 28.2%, p = .759). Risk factors for failure to achieve optimal C min before administration of the third dose were higher creatinine clearance and higher level of serum albumin. Therefore, more sufficient loading or patient-specific dose strategies should be used to achieve optimal serum vancomycin C min.
Keywords: Vancomycin; hypoalbuminemia; loading dose; renal function; therapeutic drug monitoring; trough level.