Clinical pharmacokinetics during plasma exchange

Drug removal during plasma exchange (PE) is a complex phenomenon that is defined by the molecule pharmacokinetic characteristics. Plasma-protein binding and the volume of distribution (Vd) are two kinetic parameters that strongly affect the efficiency of drug removal by PE. The effect of PE on drug kinetics has been specifically studied with antivirals, cardiotonic agents, antibiotics, corticosteroids, antalgics, anti-epileptic agents and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. This effect can be evaluated using different parameters: extracorporeal clearance, half-life, amount eliminated, and fraction of the drug removed. The estimated fraction eliminated (Fe) from the body by PE is the best parameter to evaluate the effectiveness of the exchange procedure; it can account for 0.5-30 per cent. Results reported in the literature showed that PE most influences drugs with a low Vd, regardless of the extent of protein binding. We established that, during PE, there is a linear relationship between Fe and the fraction of the drug in extracellular fluids. The fraction eliminated during PE is approximately one-seventh of the fraction of the drug in extracellular fluids. We propose to use this extracellular fraction as a predictive index: when < 20, extraction is low; the amount eliminated becomes consequential only when the index > 20. Dosage supplementation may be needed to maintain an adequate drug concentration in the body. Practically, for drugs with a low Vd (< 0.3 l/kg), it seems necessary to adjust the dosage.