Zahra Abdulhadi Alsultan

Dr. Zahra Abdulhadi Alsultan


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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18 July 2026 in Pharmaceuticals
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
SASufyan Alomair
Sufyan Alomair
ZAZahra Abdulhadi Alsultan
Zahra Abdulhadi Alsultan
FAFatimah Alsultan
Fatimah Alsultan
FAFatimah Alghadeer
Fatimah Alghadeer
AAAlzahraa Aljafar
Alzahraa Aljafar
BABatool Mohammed Alhassan
Batool Mohammed Alhassan
Introduction: The preferred PK/PD goal for vancomycin is now AUC0–24/MIC-guided dosing, which requires two blood samples, additional time, increased cost, and possibly specialized staff, potentially limiting its use. Our study compared vancomycin target attainment using trough versus single-sample Bayesian AUC0–24/MIC in critically ill patients, using a validated online calculator. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included adults aged ≥18 years with stable renal function who were receiving vancomycin. Exclusions were age under 18, unstable renal function, hemodialysis, missing data, or non-steady-state vancomycin. Steady-state troughs were obtained, and AUC0–24/MIC was calculated using ClinCalc. The primary endpoint was discordance in target attainment between trough (15–20 mg/L) and AUC0–24/MIC (400–600 mg·h/L). The secondary endpoint was AKI within 48 h of initiating vancomycin. Results: The mean trough was 14.8 ± 8.0 mg/L, and the mean AUC0–24/MIC was 499.7 ± 201.3 mg·h/L. Trough levels were within target in 20%, and AUC0–24/MIC in 67%. The 3 × 3 cross-tabulation showed a significant association (χ2 = 27.33, p < 0.001), but only fair agreement (Cohen’s κ = 0.215) and a biased disagreement pattern (p < 0.001). Thirty-eight patients (38%) had “false alarming” results: trough < 15 mg/L despite AUC0–24/MIC ≥ 400 mg·h/L. Three patients (3.0%) showed “falsely reassuring” results: trough 15–20 mg/L with AUC0–24/MIC > 600 mg·h/L. The odds of supratherapeutic AUC0–24/MIC > 600 mg·h/L were tenfold higher in patients with trough 15–20 mg/L than in those below 15 mg/L (OR 10.24, p = 0.048). Conclusions: In critically ill ICU patients, calculator-derived AUC0–24/MIC showed significant discordance with single-trough vancomycin monitoring, primarily indicating apparent under-exposure by trough criteria in patients with adequate AUC0–24/MIC levels, which may lead to unnecessary dose escalation.