Creatinine Assessment in Non–Steady-State Conditions: A Critical Review

Abstract

Objectives:

To discuss methods for the assessment of creatinine clearance (Cl_cr) when serum creatinine (SCr) is not at steady state in order to estimate kidney function and apply the estimate to kidney function staging for clinical assessment or drug dosing.

Data Sources:

A PubMed search was conducted from 1976 to mid-January 2021 with other articles identified through review of bibliographies of retrieved articles and citations in Scopus.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

Articles assessing Cl_cr under non–steady-state conditions and studies evaluating predictive equations were selected.

Data Synthesis:

When SCr is systematically changing (ie, trending up or down), kinetic methods to estimate Cl_cr are appropriate. Estimates from kinetic methods should be individual based and not indexed to body surface area, and careful monitoring is required to confirm predictions as the situation evolves. Standard methods intended for steady-state conditions should not be used to estimate Cl_cr in patients with unstable SCr.

Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice:

Creatinine continues to be a monitoring parameter of choice and is an important variable in all the commonly used equations for estimating Cl_cr and most important for estimating glomerular filtration rate. However, standard methods of estimating Cl_cr for medication dosing are not accurate under non–steady-state conditions.

Conclusion:

The methods for kinetic clearance estimation and standards methods for clearance estimation, such as the Cockcroft-Gault equation, are mutually exclusive. There are no benefits of using the kinetic method in patients with stable SCr concentrations, and standard equations are not appropriate with unstable SCr concentrations.