Minimizing the toxicity of aminoglycosides in cystic fibrosis

benefits versus harms By the late teenage years over half of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in the UK will have chronic pulmon-ary infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.1 Regu-lar treatment of this infection with intravenous antibiotics, at three monthly intervals, has been associated with increased survival in historical cohort studies.2 However, this increased survival may be achieved at the cost of cumulative side-effects of the antibiotics used and the more fre-quent occurrence of severe adverse-effects, such as acute renal failure. This article discusses how anti-biotic treatment may harm patients, how such harm may be detected at an early stage and how it may be prevented.