Abstract
The pharmacokinetics of aspirin was investigated in healthy volunteers and patients who had undergone partial or total gastrectomy. Sixty-six persons participated in the study after verbal consent. Aspirin 5 mg/kg was given orally after an overnight fast, and blood samples were taken at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, and 9 hours after aspirin administration. Serum concentrations of salicylic acid were measured spectrophotometrically. For over 40% of the subjects the serum concentration-time curves were best described by a one-compartment model. In the gastrectomized group of patients there was significant reduction in the systemic clearace of aspirin, which resulted in a prolongation of the elimination half-life and an increase in the area under the curve.
The absorption kinetics of aspirin was virtually identical in the normal volunteers and the gastrectomized persons, with no significant age-related changes being noted in the pharmacokinetic parameters of aspirin (range: 44-62 yr; mean: 51 yr).
