Drug Prescribing in Renal Failure: Dosing Guidelines for Adults and Children, 5th Edition Doody's Expert Review Review Questionnaire ISBN: 9781930513761 ISBN-10: 1930513763 Copyright: 2007 Edition: 5th Authors: Aronoff, George R., Bennett, William M., Berns, Jeffrey S., Brier, Michael E., Kasbekar, Nishaminy, Mueller, Bruce A., Doody's Expert Review    Score: 99 Doody's Star Rating™ and Doody's Expert Review provide by Doody Enterprises, Inc. Reviewer: Mony Fraer,  MD, FACP, FASN  (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics) Description This new edition of a guide to drug prescribing in renal failure is significantly expanded (just by size it has approximately 100 more pages) and includes recommendations for children. The drug database has grown significantly and the recommendations for dosing in dialysis and continuous renal replacement therapy are all updated. Purpose In a 2005 article in the British Medical Journal, Liat Vidal found inconsistent and conflicting recommendations on dosing in renal failure across multiple sources. In response, at that time, the authors (a core of four from previous editions and four new ones, among whom three are pharmacists) admitted they had a very difficult task for a variety of reasons. Some drugs are contraindicated in renal impairment just because there are no studies. Varied study designs and analyses have resulted in conflicting recommendations. Even with the best evidence base, dosing recommendations rely on interpolation, pharmacokinetic extrapolation, and estimation based on case reports, common usage, studies in subjects with normal renal function, and the study of a few patients with renal failure. It appears that this edition of the handbook is the answer, since one of the changes is that the authors have included the strength of their recommendations (A, B or C) based on the references available for each drug in the bibliography section. Audience This book is a must for anyone caring for patients with any degree of renal function impairment, including most elderly patients. Features The drugs are listed alphabetically by their generic name, in a concise table format, under five categories: antimicrobial agents; antihypertensive and cardiovascular agents; sedative, hypnotics and drugs used in psychiatry; analgesics; and miscellaneous agents. The tables include: toxicity /adverse effects; percentage of total drug excreted unchanged in the urine; major route of elimination or metabolism; half-life for patients with normal renal function or with end-stage renal disease; degree of plasma protein binding; volume of distribution; dosage for normal renal function; and adjustments for renal failure and for dialysis patients. The index is comprehensive. Assessment This is the only publication available that covers the subject well and the authors do an even better job with this edition. I would suggest that for future editions the authors consider including recommendations for transplant patients and intraperitoneal dosing of medications for peritoneal dialysis patients, as well as listing interactions with the P450 enzymes. Review Questionnaire Range Question Score 1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 10 1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10 1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5 1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4 1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 5 1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? N/A 1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. N/A 1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. N/A 1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5 1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5 1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book N/A 1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 10 1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? 10 ©2024 Doody Enterprises, Inc.