Vancomycin trough levels are used to guide dosing and avoid toxicity.

Vancomycin trough levels are used to guide dosing and avoid toxicity.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Only in kidney failure
• D. They replace peak levels

Answer: (B)

Vancomycin has a narrow therapeutic window, so monitoring drug levels helps balance efficacy with safety. Trough levels are drawn just before the next dose once steady state is reached and are used to tailor the dose and dosing interval to achieve an appropriate exposure. This helps ensure enough drug is present to treat the infection while minimizing the risk of toxicity, especially nephrotoxicity. While peaks have historically been checked to assess peak exposure, they are not used to guide routine dosing and do not replace trough monitoring. Trough monitoring is relevant regardless of kidney function, not only in kidney failure. So, using trough levels to guide dosing and to avoid toxicity is correct.

Vancomycin has a narrow therapeutic window, so monitoring drug levels helps balance efficacy with safety. Trough levels are drawn just before the next dose once steady state is reached and are used to tailor the dose and dosing interval to achieve an appropriate exposure. This helps ensure enough drug is present to treat the infection while minimizing the risk of toxicity, especially nephrotoxicity. While peaks have historically been checked to assess peak exposure, they are not used to guide routine dosing and do not replace trough monitoring. Trough monitoring is relevant regardless of kidney function, not only in kidney failure. So, using trough levels to guide dosing and to avoid toxicity is correct.