Extended Interval Dosing of Gentamicin in Neonates

June 5, 2026 updated by: Venita Harris, London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

Extended Interval Dosing of Gentamicin in Neonates to Achieve Target Drug Concentrations

A previous pharmacy residency project was done 20 years ago looking at the best dosing for the antibiotic gentamicin for babies up to 7 days old. This study showed that giving the dose less often leads to better drug concentrations than giving the dose more often. Our gentamicin dosing at the Children's Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre is based on the better dosing from the study. This dosing is gentamicin 3 mg/kg every 24 hours for babies less than 35 weeks gestational age and 3.5 mg/kg every 24 hours for babies at least 35 weeks gestational age. These results were never published. Different dosing is used at different hospitals. It is important that we check that our gentamicin dosing is still reaching safe and effective drug concentrations in the current study. The study will look at the gentamicin drug concentrations of babies up to 7 days old, including premature and term babies. We will also confirm if the babies have kidney or hearing damage from gentamicin. We will compare the gentamicin drug concentrations from this study to the past data to see if the dosing is still the best. The results can help form a guideline for the Children's Hospital and surrounding hospitals.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Current gentamicin dosing at the Children's Hospital is based on the previous projects completed at LHSC. Different gentamicin dosing recommendations exist depending on the reference used. This study would help validate if the current extended interval dosing in neonates is still achieving target gentamicin concentration levels. We will compare the results of the current study to our historic data. The results will help determine if infants are receiving effective and safe treatment with gentamicin. Depending on the results of the study, further evaluation on changes to gentamicin dosing may be needed or an official guideline may be published if gentamicin levels are being adequately achieved with the current dosing. This official guideline will help prescribers at the Children's Hospital and hospitals in the surrounding region that will adopt our dosing when treating infants. There will be an overall benefit to prescribers and patients ensuring safe and effective of gentamicin dosing is followed. If the infant meets the study inclusion criteria, a letter of information will be provided to the parent(s)/guardian(s) if agreeable using REDCap. Consent must be obtained prior to enrollment.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
42

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5W9
        • Recruiting
        • Children's Hospital: London Health Sciences Centre
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU), or Paediatrics Unit (B6) at the Children's Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Neonates up to 7 days of age,
  • Neonate must be on gentamicin, and
  • Gentamicin trough and peak levels must be available for the third dose of gentamicin.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Incorrect dose for weight (+/- 10% allowed to account for dose rounding)
  • Multiple levels from the same patient; only the first set of levels will be collected
  • Baseline renal dysfunction (e.g. congenital kidney disease)
  • On other nephrotoxic or ototoxic drugs concurrently with the first 3 days of gentamicin

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Neonates less than 35 weeks gestational age
Other: Standard of care administration of gentamicin dosed at 3 mg/kg every 24 hours
No interventions will be made to the neonates. Standard of care will be followed with empiric gentamicin and levels ordered for the neonates at the discretion of the medical team.
Neonates at least 35 weeks gestational age
Other: Standard of care administration of gentamicin dosed at 3.5 mg/kg every 24 hours
No interventions will be made to the neonates. Standard of care will be followed with empiric gentamicin and levels ordered for the neonates at the discretion of the medical team.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Trough gentamicin levels
Time Frame: Day 3 of treatment: prior to the third gentamicin dose
The primary objective is to measure and monitor the number of trough gentamicin levels within target range < 2 mg/L with the current extended interval dosing regimen compared to traditional dosing in neonates ≤ 7 days of age.
Day 3 of treatment: prior to the third gentamicin dose

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Peak gentamicin levels
Time Frame: Day 3 of treatment: following the third gentamicin dose
Maintain peak gentamicin levels within target range (6-10 mg/L)
Day 3 of treatment: following the third gentamicin dose
Incidence of suspected nephrotoxicity
Time Frame: Seven days after discontinuation of gentamicin
Monitor the incidence of suspected nephrotoxicity (serum creatinine > 53 umol/L, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) > 10 mmol/L, and urine output < 1 mL/kg/h)
Seven days after discontinuation of gentamicin
Incidence of suspected ototoxicity
Time Frame: Up to 7 days following gentamicin discontinuation while infant is still admitted in hospital
Monitor the incidence of suspected ototoxicity (failed on newborn hearing screening) in different dosing regimens. Newborn hearing screening tests follow electrophysiological methods with automated distortion product otoacoustic emissions and automated auditory brainstem response
Up to 7 days following gentamicin discontinuation while infant is still admitted in hospital

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Venita Harris, PharmD, London Health Sciences Centre

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 128253

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

This is a small scale cohort study that is less likely to be useful for a wider population. Our ethics submission did not include a plan to share the study database.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings