Prescribing drugs in Elderly patients

Many elderly patients have a Creatinine clearance below 50ml/min, which, because of reduced muscle mass, may not be indicated by a raised creatinine level. 

When prescribing any drug for this patient group it is therefore especially important to calculate the CrCl for this patient group.  Ensure that the patients creatinine clearance is calculated using the cockcroft gault equation and dose accordingly (click here for creatinine clearance calculator.)

Cockcroft-Gault Crcl estimates should be used for drug dosing rather than the automated MDRD eGFR produced by the clinical chemistry laboratory available on NOTIS/HISS.

NB Vancomycin frequency MUST be reduced to once daily in those >65 years

Ref: BNF Appendix 3: Renal Impairment + renal physicians at NCH

Caution; the antibiotic doses recommended on this website are intended for adult patients with normal renal and liver function unless otherwise stated. Dosing advice for patients with renal impairment is available here.

Read our copyright and disclaimer statement