Although some experience with single daily doses of amikacin in adults and children has been reported, to date there is no clear evidence whether the once-daily regime of aminoglycosides is safe to be administered to elderly patients. Despite the convenience and potential cost-effectiveness of once-daily administration of aminoglycoside antibiotics, there is concern over the potential cumulative toxicity associated with their use in elderly patients. This may be particularly relevant where there is concomitant use of other nephrotoxic agents. However, despite these concerns, the use of once-daily dosing of aminoglycosides is common in elderly patients and the consequences are unquantified. We present a case of 70 years old male patient, who developed extremely toxic levels of amikacin on a once-daily regime (1 g/day in 30 min. infusion) with clear evidence of renal function impairment.

        Key words: amikacin, elderly, nephrotoxicity, therapeutic drug monitoring.