A Validated UHPLC-MS/MS Method to Quantify Eight Antibiotics in Quantitative Dried Blood Spots in Support of Pharmacokinetic Studies in Neonates
Liu et al.
The finding, in our words
The study developed and validated a UHPLC-MS/MS method to measure eight antibiotics in quantitative dried blood spots collected from neonates using a capillary microsampling device. This patient-centric approach enables robust pharmacokinetic monitoring in children where blood volume is limited, supporting decentralised therapeutic drug monitoring.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
The study compared quantitative dried blood spot (qDBS) and volumetric absorptive microsampling (VAMS) devices for measuring ganciclovir levels in capillary blood from pediatric renal transplant recipients. This comparison provides evidence for choosing between microsampling devices in therapeutic drug monitoring, supporting decentralised sampling approaches that reduce patient burden while maintaining analytical accuracy.
This study validated a method for monitoring mycophenolic acid in paediatric patients, demonstrating that quantitative dried plasma spots achieved close agreement with venous plasma. Quantitative dried blood spots showed significant haematocrit-related bias, making the plasma-based format more suitable for decentralised monitoring.
The study developed and validated a rapid LC-MS/MS method for quantifying cefazolin in capillary whole blood collected via VAMS, plasma, and plasma ultrafiltrate, showing robust performance across matrices and successful application in a pediatric pilot cohort for therapeutic drug monitoring.
A systematic review found mixed economic evidence for microsampling in therapeutic drug monitoring; one study reported no cost reduction with DBS home-sampling, €688 versus €676, whilst another predicted savings up to 61%. The authors caution that more work is required to assess costs alongside clinical outcomes and optimise logistics for decentralised implementation.
The study validated a method for measuring cystic fibrosis drugs in dried blood spots, showing statistical equivalence to plasma concentrations, which supports their use as a less invasive alternative for therapeutic drug monitoring. It also found higher drug levels in nasal swabs, indicating localised accumulation at the disease site, which could inform more personalised treatment.