The transplacental and elimination pharmacokinetics of phenobarbital administered antenatally was analyzed in both mothers and infants as part of a study evaluating the efficacy of antenatally administered phenobarbital in the prevention of neonatal intracerebral hemorrhage. Twenty-five pregnant women in labor less than 35 weeks’ gestation received 500 mg phenobarbital administered intravenously. The maternal serum phenobarbital level at delivery was 8.76 ± 1.99 μg/ml and cord serum phénobarbital level was 9.0 ± 1.75 μg/ml (all values are mean ± SD). There was no correlation between the time from phénobarbital administration to delivery (5.6 ± 4.6 h) and the cord:maternal serum phénobarbital ratio (1.05 ± 0.21) (r = -0.03; p > 0.05). The mean apparent half-life of phenobarbital estimated in 11 infants was 175.5 ± 45.6 h. The present study documents the ability to predict serum levels in the fetus and neonate from the serum concentrations achieved in the mother.

Keywords:
Phenobarbital, Hemorrhage prevention, Pharmacokinetics, Antenatal phenobarbital
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1986
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