Lancione & Lancione, PLL, is a Cleveland, Ohio law firm that concentrates on representing plaintiffs in complex medical malpractice cases such as Gentamicin poisoning. Our attorneys have extensive knowledge of the legal and medical aspects of Gentamicin poisoning litigation and offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case.
Are you a victim of Gentamicin poisoning? If you, a member of your family, or a friend was prescribed Gentamicin and is experiencing difficulty with balance while walking, bouncing vision (oscillopsia), hearing loss, or kidney damage, Gentamicin-induced ototoxicity, vestibular toxicity or nephrotoxicity is a genuine concern.
If you feel you have suffered injury as a result of the negligent prescription or administration of Gentamicin please feel free to call the Ohio Gentamicin treatment poisoning lawyers at Lancione & Lancione at 1-866-744-1330 or contact us online.
Knowledgeable Cleveland Aminoglycoside Damage Lawyers
Gentamicin is an antibiotic from the aminoglycoside family of antimicrobials. The aminoglycosides are potent bactericidal compounds usually reserved for the treatment of severe infections with gram-negative pathogens or with staphylococci. Since its discovery in 1963, Gentamicin has been the aminoglycoside of choice in hospitals because of its low cost and effectiveness in treating gram-negative bacillary infections including those caused by pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The major limitations of Gentamicin and all aminoglycosides are their nephro- and ototoxic potentials.
Administration and Dosage
All aminoglycosides share certain pharmacokinetic properties. Because of poor oral absorption, intravenous administration is necessary to achieve adequate serum concentrations.
Multiple Daily Dosing
The recommended traditional, multiple daily dosing regimen and serum concentration for Gentamicin is 3-5 mg/kg every eight hours.
Because of inter-patient variability and volume distribution, renal function and disease state, monitoring of Gentamicin serum concentration has been the standard of care in patients receiving traditional, multiple daily dosing regimens to ensure adequacy of peak concentrations of the drug and to avoid the effects of toxicity.
The timing of administration of Gentamicin and collection of serum specimens is critical. The concentrations should be determined from specimens obtained thirty minutes after completion of a thirty-minute intravenous infusion or one hour after intramuscular injection. Trough concentrations should be measured immediately before the next dose is administered.
Single Daily Dosing
The rationale of single daily dosing for Gentamicin was initially derived from studies in experimental animals. It was found that reduced nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity was seen without sacrificing the antimicrobial effect in animals receiving large single daily doses versus traditional multiple daily dosing regimens.
The rationale for single daily dosing is based on the following concepts:
- Gentamicin displays concentration dependent bactericidal action - higher doses in serum concentrations result in more rapid killing.
- Gentamicin exhibits a long post antibiotic effect, resulting in persistent bacterial killing suppression even when serum concentrations decline below the minimal inhibitory concentration and thereby allows for less frequent drug administration.
- Large single daily doses result in prolonged periods with negligible serum concentrations, potentially reducing renal, cortical and auditory accumulation of the drug.
Adverse Effects
Gentamicin and other aminoglycosides have considerable intrinsic toxicity. It has been established that Gentamicin is toxic to the kidneys (nephrotoxic) and the vestibular and auditory systems (ototoxic). Unlike nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity is irreversible.
Ototoxicity can take the form of damage to the auditory system or the vestibular system or both. This ototoxicity results in the destruction of the sensory hair cells in the cochlea and the vestibular labyrinth. The signs and symptoms of vestibular toxicity are those of bilateral vestibular impairment, namely ataxia (unsteady gait) and oscillopsia or bouncing vision. Patients with Gentamicin vestibular toxicity cannot develop vertigo because these typify an acute unilateral vestibular lesion in a patient who has one functioning labyrinth.
Damage to the auditory system typically results in hearing loss. This hearing loss usually impairs high frequency hearing that may not be noticeable to the patient. Patients who suffer hearing loss that impairs their ability to hear human speech typically have very extensive aminoglycoside damage.
Gentamicin and other aminoglycosides have been clearly shown to have substantial nephrotoxic affects in clinical use. Gentamicin and the aminoglycoside are freely filtered by the kidneys. Because the clearance through the kidneys is slow the drugs themselves accumulate in the cells of the kidney. If the dose of Gentamicin is substantial and prolonged, toxic concentrations accumulate within the cells, ultimately inducing cell injury, cell necrosis and acute renal failure.
The manufacturer of Gentamicin provides a warning to patients and physicians in the package insert. The warning states that patients treated with intravenous aminoglycosides should be under close clinical observation because of the potential ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity associated with their use. Safety for treatment periods which are longer than fourteen days has not been established.
Legal Help for Gentamicin Toxicity
If you or someone you know is taking Gentamicin and has complained of dizziness, buzzing, irritation or loss of hearing in the ear, you should immediately seek medical attention. If you have been diagnosed with Gentamicin toxicity or vestibular (inner ear) damage as a result of taking Gentamicin, a skilled medical malpractice attorney can advise you on your situation. The Ohio Gentamicin treatment poisoning lawyers at Lancione & Lancione have obtained significant Gentamicin settlements on behalf of their clients. Due to the wide publicity and new medical knowledge on the matter, damage due to Gentamicin toxicity is a highly preventable condition. If your physician has prescribed Gentamicin, they have a responsibility to monitor carefully the dosage and side effects.
Contact Lancione & Lancione, a Montgomery County Gentamicin Toxicity Law Firm
Contact the Cleveland aminoglycoside damage attorneys at Lancione & Lancione, PLL, for a free initial consultation. Our attorneys can be reached by phone at 1-866-744-1330 or online. Lancione & Lancione proudly serves the entire state of Ohio including the communities of Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo.
