Evaluating renal function for the purposes of drug dosing is a common task for clinical pharmacists, but a number of misconceptions have developed over the past forty years as the process of evaluating renal function has improved. The following are the top 10 facts that every clinician should know about creatinine clearance:
- Cockcroft-Gault is still the best equation for renally adjusting medications. Although the Cockcroft-Gault equation is less accurate than newer methods (MDRD and CKD-EPI) for estimating renal function, drug manufacturers typically use the older C-G method to determine renal adjustments of medications. Currently, the National Kidney Foundation recommends MDRD/CKD-EPI for evaluating the progression of renal function, and C-G for dosing medications. Continue reading