Wednesday June 7, 2006
Dose of acetazolamide (diamox) for metabolic alkalosis
Many times we use acetazolamide for metabolic alkalosis in mechanically ventilated patients when nothing else is making it better. What dose should we use?. Mazur and coll. from Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI looked into 40 mechanically ventilated patients with a metabolic alkalosis (arterial pH more/= 7.48 and serum bicarbonate concentration more/= 26 mEq/L) which were resistant to other therapies such as fluid infusion or potassium therapy.
Study found that a single IV 500-mg dose of acetazolamide is as effective as multiple doses of IV 250 mg of acetazolamide.
Reference: click to get abstract/article
Single versus multiple doses of acetazolamide for metabolic alkalosis in critically ill medical patients: A randomized, double-blind trial. Critical Care Medicine. 27(7):1257-1261, July 1999.
