Designing drug regimens for special intensive care unit populations

Table 2 Changes in body composition during intensive care units stay that may affect drug disposition

Lean vs adipose tissue changes during more prolonged stay

Loss of lean tissue

Gain of adipose tissue

Distribution of adipose tissue (e.g., subcutaneous vs visceral)

Gains or losses of total body water throughout stay

Distribution of retained fluid (e.g., intracellular vs extracellular, interstitial vs intravascular)

Reprinted with permission from Erstad[15]. Copyright © by John Wiley Sons, Inc. Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.