A Patient Has a Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Infection That Is Sensitive

A patient has a Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection that is sensitive to aminoglycosides, and the prescriber orders gentamicin. The patient tells the nurse that a friend received amikacin [Amikin] for a similar infection and wonders why amikacin was not ordered. What will the nurse tell the patient?

A) "Amikacin is given when infectious agents are resistant to other aminoglycosides."
B) "Amikacin is more vulnerable to inactivation by bacterial enzymes."
C) "Amikacin is a narrow-spectrum drug and will probably not work for this infection."
D) "Gentamicin is less toxic to the ears and the kidneys."