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 = 0.7 L/kgC = 20 mg/LLD = ?64 kg

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient who weighs 64 kg needs a loading dose of vancomycin to reach a level of 20 mg/L straight away. The volume of distribution is 0.7 L/kg. Find the loading dose LD in mg.

64 kgVd = 0.7 L/kgC = 20 mg/L
LD = mg
2.Easy
t/t½C/Css (%)100%3f = ?

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient receives aminophylline as a constant IV infusion without a loading dose. The half-life is 9 h. What percentage f of the steady-state level has been reached after 27 h?

t½ = 9 ht = 27 h
f = %
3.Medium
110100t (h)C (mg/L)1 h35 mg/L11 h11 mg/L

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). After an IV dose of vancomycin, the level is 35 mg/L at 1 h and 11 mg/L at 11 h. Assume first-order elimination. Find the half-life t½.

C1 = 35 mg/L (1 h)C2 = 11 mg/L (11 h)
t½ = h
4.Medium
Vd = 7 L/kgC = 0.8 mcg/LLD = ? mcg68 kg · S = 1 · F = 0.7

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A 68 kg patient is to be loaded with digoxin tablets to reach a level of 0.8 mcg/L. The volume of distribution is 7 L/kg and the tablets have a bioavailability F = 0.7. Find the total oral loading dose LD in mcg.

68 kgVd = 7 L/kgC = 0.8 mcg/LF = 0.7
LD = mcg
5.Hard
0.1110t (h)C (mg/L)Cpeak​ = 7τ = ?Ctrough​ = 0.5

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A patient's gentamicin half-life is 2 h. The target is a peak of 7 mg/L and a trough of 0.5 mg/L. Assuming rapid IV doses and first-order elimination, what dosing interval τ lets the level fall from the peak to the trough? Round to one decimal place.

t½ = 2 hCpeak = 7 mg/LCtrough = 0.5 mg/L
τ = h
6.Hard
t (h)C (mg/L)Css​t = ?90%

Practice exercise (made-up values, not clinical guidance). A theophylline infusion is started without a loading dose. The half-life in this patient is 9 h. How long t does it take to reach 90% of the steady-state level?

t½ = 9 h90% Css
t = h

Answer key

  1. 1. LD = 896 mg
  2. 2. f = 87.5 %
  3. 3. t½ = 5.989 h
  4. 4. LD = 544 mcg
  5. 5. τ = 7.6 h
  6. 6. t = 29.9 h

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