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Biomedical subjects

W E Reed

Publications and source records attributed to W E Reed.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

The use of drugs in renal failure.

We have tried to emphasize specific variables that impact upon the use of drugs in the patient with renal disease. These variables are complex, often interrelated, and if neglected by the physician will surely lead to unwarranted drug reactions and serious harm to the patient. We have purposely limited the tables of "Selected Pharmacologic Agents" to a few prototypic drugs from each class, emphasizing the newer agents recently introduced in clinical medicine. We strongly recommend that as new drugs are used, the original literature be consulted for verification.

Analgesics

Sustained-release procainamide: use of serum concentrations to determine dosage.

The utility of the antiarrhythmic drug procainamide (PA) is limited by the required dosage schedule (every three to four hours). A commercially available, slow release procainamide (P-SR) is recommended to be given every six hours. We compared procainamide capsules (P-Caps) given every four hours with P-SR given every six hours in a crossover study of 12 patients. Doses of P-Caps were chosen to produce a therapeutic result and serum drug concentrations within the therapeutic range. Doses of P-SR were adjusted until serum PA concentrations were similar to those when P-Caps were used. The dosage for P-Caps was 58 mg/kg/day +/- 24.6; P-SR dosage was 53 mg/kg/day +/- 15.18 (mean +/- SD) (P not statistically significant). The PA peak to trough variation for P-Caps was 2.2 micrograms/ml +/- 2.3 and for P-SR 1.5 micrograms/ml +/- 1.4 (P not significant). We conclude that P-SR given every six hours in the same daily dose as PA capsules given every four hours will provide similar therapeutic concentrations with no greater peak to trough variation.

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