Electronic estimations of renal function are inaccurate in solid-organ transplant recipients and can result in significant underdosing of prophylactic valganciclovir

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Aug;57(8):4058-60. doi: 10.1128/AAC.00375-13. Epub 2013 Jun 3.

Abstract

In a prospective study of solid-organ transplant recipients (n = 22; 15 hepatic and 7 renal) receiving valganciclovir for cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis, electronic estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) underestimated the true GFR (24-h urine creatinine clearance) by >20% in 14/22 (63.6%). Its use was associated with inappropriate underdosing of valganciclovir, while the Cockroft-Gault equation was accurate in 21/22 patients (95.4%). Subtherapeutic ganciclovir levels (≤ 0.6 mg/liter) were common, occurring in 10/22 patients (45.4%); 7 had severely deficient levels (<0.3 mg/liter).

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antiviral Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Creatine / urine
  • Cytomegalovirus / isolation & purification
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections / drug therapy
  • Electronic Data Processing
  • Female
  • Ganciclovir / administration & dosage
  • Ganciclovir / analogs & derivatives*
  • Ganciclovir / therapeutic use
  • Glomerular Filtration Rate*
  • Humans
  • Kidney Transplantation*
  • Liver Transplantation*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prospective Studies
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Valganciclovir

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Valganciclovir
  • Creatine
  • Ganciclovir