Relative bioavailability in healthy volunteers of ciprofloxacin administered through a nasogastric tube with and without enteral feeding

Abstract

The bioavailability of ciprofloxacin after its administration through a nasogastric (NG) feeding tube was studied in six healthy volunteers. Each subject received, on separate occasions, an intact 750-mg ciprofloxacin tablet, a crushed tablet as a suspension through an NG tube, and a crushed tablet as a suspension through an NG tube while receiving enteral feeding. No statistically significant differences were observed in the area under the curve, maximum concentration in serum, and time to peak concentration among these three modes of administration. These findings suggest that ciprofloxacin is well absorbed after administration via an NG tube (compared with an orally administered intact tablet) even in the presence of enteral feeding.