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The postpartum patient experiences numerous physiologic alterations, which may affect the pharmacokinetics of certain drugs. Six patients received either piperacillin or mezlocillin intravenously immediately after delivery. Serum half-life and clearance were, respectively, 82.4 min and 202 +/- 105 ml/min for mezlocillin and 32.9 min and 456 +/- 88 ml/min for piperacillin. The data revealed that mezlocillin and piperacillin have significantly different pharmacokinetic reactions in the postpartum patient at the doses used.

This is a case of latent nystagmus with a significant improvement in acuity with both eyes open rather than with either eye alone. If this patient's visual acuity was tested only O.D. alone and O.S. alone, the best visual acuity obtainable would have been 20/60. This might have had serious implications for A.F.'s work since a minimum visual acuity of 20/40 is needed to keep a driver's license in New York State. Since binocular acuity was 20/20, I assured him that driving is safe.