Medication Dosing and Renal Insufficiency in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Unit

Excerpt

Appropriate drug dosing in renal insufficiency is an important consideration to optimize therapeutic outcomes and to minimize toxicity. In this issue of the journal, Moffett and colleagues [4] remind health care providers of the clinical benefits of pharmacist involvement on drug dosing for patients with renal insufficiency in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. The authors adapted a well-known list of drugs primarily excreted by the kidneys for patients with renal impairment. They noted that patients who required medication adjustments were significantly younger compared to those who did not require medication adjustment. Moffett et al. also report that clinical pharmacist consultation for prescribing drugs in the pediatric intensive care setting would be associated with shorter length of stay, lower costs, and lower rate of medication errors. …