Description
Hospital pharmacists review patients’ medication daily and assess risk factors to reduce patient harm. One of those riskfactors is the renal function. Pharmacists advise physicians on dose-adjustments of renally excreted medication or on the
discontinuation of medication that could further decrease renal function. Before the introduction of formulas to estimate
GFR (glomerular filtration rate), the most commonly used measure was the serum creatinine concentration. However,
the serum creatinine is not only determined by glomerular filtration, but also dependent on many other factors such as
muscle mass, meat consumption, medication use and malnutrition.
The formulas to estimate GFR use serum creatinine concentration and take into account several variables such as age,
gender, weight and race, and are only validated in a stable chronic setting. The most commonly used formulas in daily
practice are the Cockcroft-Gault formula, the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula and the Chronic
Kidney Disease Epidemiology collaboration equation (CKD-EPI). These formulas have been developed in populations with
specific characteristics, which hamper their use in various populations with a wide range of renal function. It is essential
to understand the pitfalls of these formulas to allow correct interpretation of their results in adult patients. To address
whether medication adjustments are needed hospital pharmacists need to distinguish between acute versus chronic renal
failure. Also, the expected recovery of the renal function needs to be taken into account.
In this interactive session the characteristics of the several formulas are discussed. Also, the interpretation of these
formulas in different patient groups - such as patients with obesity or older patients - is addressed using cases from
routine clinical practice.
| Period | 24-Mar-2023 |
|---|---|
| Event title | 27th European Association of Hospital Pharmacists congress: From drug design to treatment succes |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Lisbon, PortugalShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |