RT Book, Section
A1 McNatty, Danny
A2 Sutton, S. Scott
SR Print(0)
ID 7253103
T1 Chapter 35. Estimating Renal Function
T2 McGraw-Hill's NAPLEX® Review Guide
YR 2011
FD 2011
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-175562-7
LK accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7253103
RD 2024/04/25
AB Estimating  renal  function  is  of  great  importance  for  patients  taking  renally  eliminated  medications.  The  glomerular  filtration  rate  (GFR)  is  an  effective  indicator  of  renal  function  and  normal  values  are  approximately  130  mL/min/1.73  m2  for  men  and  120  mL/min/1.73  m2  for  women.1  GFR  cannot  be  directly  measured;  therefore  other  measurements  must  be  used  to  approximate  renal  function.  The  gold  standard  for  approximating  GFR  is  the  inulin  clearance  method.2  Inulin  is  filtered  by  the  glomerulus  and  is  not  secreted  or  reabsorbed,  making  it  an  ideal  agent  for  approximating  GFR.  GFR  approximation  via  inulin  clearance  is  rarely  done  because  it  is  costly,  invasive,  and  requires  a  great  deal  of  technical  expertise.3  Other  markers  used  to  estimate  GFR  include  iothalamate,  iohexol,  and  ethylenediaminetetraacetic  acid.  Like  inulin,  these  agents  are  expensive  and  have  limited  availability,  making  them  impractical  in  the  clinical  setting.