Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2025

Direct Drug Delivery to Kidney via the Renal Artery
Published on: April 17, 2021
[Intravenous drug use and kidney disease]
Sarah Rosset-Zufferey1, Jean-Bernard Daeppen2, Menno Pruijm1
1Service de néphrologie et d'hypertension, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois et Université de Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne.
Abstract:
Intravenous drug use (IVDU) is a major public health issue, associated with high mortality rates. The risk of overdose, cardiovascular and infectious complications are well known, but IVDU can also lead to different types of kidney disease. Patients can develop acute or chronic kidney injury due to direct nephrotoxicity of the drugs, or present with different types of glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis, and bacterial or viral infection-related nephropathy. Diagnosis can be difficult but is essential to prevent irreversible kidney damage. The number of persons with IVDU that develop end-stage kidney disease is increasing and poses challenges for dialysis and transplantation centers. This article summarizes the renal manifestations that clinicians may encounter in persons with IVDU, especially of heroin and cocaine.
Related Concept Videos
Acute Kidney Injury IV: Diagnostic Studies and Prevention
Renal Failure: Dose Adjustments
Reduced renal clearance and elimination rate are common outcomes of renal impairment. These alterations lead to a prolonged elimination half-life and an altered apparent volume of distribution for drugs. As a result, dosage adjustments are typically necessary to maintain optimal drug levels in the body.
However, dosage adjustments...
Chronic Kidney Disease III: Interprofessional Care
Acute Kidney Injury V: Interprofessional Care
Renal Drug Excretion: Overview
A nephron consists of two primary structures: the renal corpuscle and the renal tubule. The renal corpuscle contains the glomerulus, a network of capillaries where the first step of renal excretion, glomerular filtration, occurs. Blood pressure forces water, ions, and small molecules...
Renal Drug Excretion: Tubular Secretion

