How to Calculate Creatinine Clearance
What is Creatinine Clearance?
Creatinine clearance (CrCl) estimated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation is used for drug dosing (especially renally-cleared medications), whereas eGFR is used for CKD staging. They give similar but not identical values.
Step-by-Step Guide
- 1CrCl = [(140−Age) × Weight(kg)] / (72 × Serum creatinine mg/dL)
- 2Multiply by 0.85 for females
- 3Uses actual body weight; in obesity, use ideal body weight or adjusted body weight
- 4Important for dosing: aminoglycosides, vancomycin, metformin, direct oral anticoagulants
Worked Examples
Input
Male age 65 · weight 75kg · creatinine 1.3mg/dL
Result
CrCl = (140−65)×75/(72×1.3) = 60.1 mL/min
Requires dose adjustment for many drugs
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