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Updated: May 4, 2026

Direct Drug Delivery to Kidney via the Renal Artery
Published on: April 17, 2021
[Patient with acute renal injury presenting dabigatran overdose: Hemodialysis for surgery]
B Bachellerie1, S Ruiz1, J-M Conil1
1Pôle d'anesthésie réanimation, hôpital de Rangueil, 31059 Toulouse cedex 9, France.
Dabigatran is a direct thrombin inhibitor indicated for stroke and systemic embolism prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. No reversal agent exists, but hemodialysis has been proposed as dabigatran removal method. We report a case of an 80-year-old man presenting hemorrhage with dabigatran overdose caused by obstructive acute renal failure. Before nephrostomy, several hemodialysis sessions were necessary to remove dabigatran probably because of its large volume of distribution.
Dabigatran is a direct thrombin inhibitor indicated for stroke and systemic embolism prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. No reversal agent exists, but hemodialysis has been proposed as dabigatran removal method. We report a case of an 80-year-old man presenting hemorrhage with dabigatran overdose caused by obstructive acute renal failure. Before nephrostomy, several hemodialysis sessions were necessary to remove dabigatran probably because of its large volume of distribution.
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