Clinical pharmacokinetics worksheet with answers

Free printable Clinical pharmacokinetics worksheet: 6 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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1.Easy
110100t (h)CC₀t½ = 40 hC₀/2

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). In a patient, digoxin has an elimination half-life of 40 h. Find the elimination rate constant k in h⁻¹.

t½ = 40 h
k = h⁻¹
2.Easy
110t (h)C (mg/L)7 mg/L4 hC = ?

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). Just after an IV dose, the gentamicin level is 7 mg/L. The half-life is 2 h, and the drug is eliminated by first-order kinetics. What is the level C 4 h later?

C₀ = 7 mg/Lt½ = 2 ht = 4 h
C = mg/L
3.Medium
VCss​ = 12 mg/LR = ? mg/hCL = 0.04 L/kg/h59 kg

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 59 kg patient receives a theophylline infusion. The clearance is 0.04 L/kg/h. What infusion rate R in mg/h gives a steady-state level of 12 mg/L?

59 kgCL = 0.04 L/kg/hCss = 12 mg/L
R = mg/h
4.Medium
110100t (h)C (mg/L)C₀ = 12 mg/Lt½ = 3 hC₀/2

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient receives an IV bolus of 210 mg of gentamicin. The level back-extrapolated to time zero is 12 mg/L and the half-life is 3 h. Find the volume of distribution Vd.

D = 210 mgC₀ = 12 mg/Lt½ = 3 h
Vd = L
5.Hard
Vd = 0.3 L/kg0.5 → 8 mg/LD = ? mg77 kg

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 77 kg patient on regular gentamicin doses is at steady state. The target is a peak of 8 mg/L and a trough of 0.5 mg/L, and the volume of distribution is 0.3 L/kg. Assuming rapid IV doses, what dose D raises the level from the trough to the peak?

77 kgVd = 0.3 L/kgCpeak = 8 mg/LCtrough = 0.5 mg/L
D = mg
6.Hard
VCss,avg​ = ?400 mg · q12hCL = 0.035 L/kg/h88 kg · S = 0.8 · F = 1

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). An 88 kg patient takes oral aminophylline (S = 0.8, F = 1) every 12 h. The theophylline clearance is 0.035 L/kg/h. Each dose is 400 mg of aminophylline. Find the average steady-state level Css,avg.

CL = 0.035 L/kg/hτ = 12 hS = 0.8F = 188 kgD = 400 mg
Css,avg = mg/L

Answer key

  1. 1. k = 0.01733 h⁻¹
  2. 2. C = 1.75 mg/L
  3. 3. R = 28.32 mg/h
  4. 4. Vd = 17.5 L
  5. 5. D = 173.2 mg
  6. 6. Css,avg = 8.658 mg/L

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