How can changes in elimination as a result of CKD alter the pharmacokinetic behavior of drugs?
A reduction in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) will generally lead to an increased half-life of a drug that is eliminated primarily by the kidney. Clearance is a measure of the efficiency of the kidney at excreting a specific compound.
The clearance of a drug is the amount of plasma from which the drug is completely removed from over unit time.
For example, a furosemide clearance of 20 mL/min means that every minute enough furosemide is excreted in the urine to completely clear out all of the furosemide from 20 mL of plasma.
