What every doctor should know about drug safety in patients with chronic kidney disease

Drug safety is a very relevant issue when dealing with patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who need vascular access procedures and interventions. Drug dosage adjustments are needed for patients with acute or chronic kidney disease. In CKD patients, the estimated glomerular filtration rate is used to guide dose adjustments. Determining the influence of renal replacement therapies on drug dosage adjustment is also very important. Safety issues for the following drugs used for situations related to vascular access are reported: anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents, antibiotics, antimicrobials for catheter lock therapy, thrombolytics, local anesthetics, and painkillers. General principles of the interactions of drugs in CKD are also reported.