Peritoneal dialysis is a technique for blood purification and is used in chronic kidney disease. Peritonitis is a major problem linked to peritoneal dialysis which limits its utilization. Cephalosporins are extensively used for the treatment of peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis. Cefuroxime is the second-generation cephalosporin that is used for the prevention and cure of peritonitis. The stability of cefuroxime in peritoneal dialysis solution was investigated after storage at different temperatures. Cefuroxime in different concentrations (250 mg, 750 mg and 1.5 g) was injected into the bags of peritoneal dialysis solution which were stored at 4 oC, 25 oC, and 40 oC. Samples were taken at regular intervals and evaluated by a validated HPLC method. Cefuroxime remained stable for fourteen days at 4 °C and the pattern of stability was the same for all concentrations of cefuroxime. At 25 °C, cefuroxime remained stable for 24 hours in isotonic and hypertonic PD solutions and maintained more than 90% of its initial concentrations. At 40 °C, cefuroxime remained stable for 6.7 and 6.0 hours in isotonic and hypertonic PD solutions respectively. The degradation of cefuroxime was higher in hypertonic solutions as compared to isotonic solutions


Nosheen Tabassum, Noor ul Amin Mohsin, Humna Akram and Muhammad Shan