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
Vd = 0.5 L/kgC = 15 mg/LLD = ?63 kg

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient who weighs 63 kg needs a loading dose of theophylline to reach a level of 15 mg/L straight away. The volume of distribution is 0.5 L/kg. Find the loading dose LD in mg.

63 kgVd = 0.5 L/kgC = 15 mg/L
LD = mg
2.Easy
110100t (h)C (mg/L)40 mg/L30 hC = ?

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). Just after an IV dose, the vancomycin level is 40 mg/L. The half-life is 10 h, and the drug is eliminated by first-order kinetics. What is the level C 30 h later?

C₀ = 40 mg/Lt½ = 10 ht = 30 h
C = mg/L
3.Medium
110100t (h)C (mg/L)1 h25 mg/L13 h8.8 mg/L

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). After an IV dose of vancomycin, the level is 25 mg/L at 1 h and 8.8 mg/L at 13 h. Assume first-order elimination. Find the half-life t½.

C1 = 25 mg/L (1 h)C2 = 8.8 mg/L (13 h)
t½ = h
4.Medium
Vd = 0.7 L/kgC = 20 mg/LLD = ? mg88 kg · S = 0.92 · F = 1

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). An 88 kg patient is to be loaded intravenously with phenytoin sodium to reach a phenytoin level of 20 mg/L. The volume of distribution is 0.7 L/kg and the salt factor is S = 0.92. Find the loading dose LD of phenytoin sodium in mg.

88 kgVd = 0.7 L/kgC = 20 mg/LS = 0.92
LD = mg
5.Hard
t (h)C (mg/L)Css​23 hC = ?

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A vancomycin infusion runs at 125 mg/h with no loading dose. The patient's clearance is 5 L/h and the half-life is 8 h. What is the level C after 23 h?

R = 125 mg/hCL = 5 L/ht½ = 8 ht = 23 h
C = mg/L
6.Hard
VCss,avg​ = 20 mg/LD = ? mg · q12hCL = 5 L/hS = 1 · F = 1

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient receives vancomycin IV every 12 h; the vancomycin clearance is 5 L/h. What dose D in mg gives an average steady-state level of 20 mg/L?

CL = 5 L/hτ = 12 hS = 1F = 1Css,avg = 20 mg/L
D = mg

Answer key

  1. 1. LD = 472.5 mg
  2. 2. C = 5 mg/L
  3. 3. t½ = 7.966 h
  4. 4. LD = 1339 mg
  5. 5. C = 21.59 mg/L
  6. 6. D = 1200 mg

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