Pharmacokinetics of Atenolol in Patients Treated With Chronic Hemodialysis or Peritoneal Dialysis

Atenolol is a relatively selective beta1‐adrenoceptor blocking agent devoid of partial agonist or membrane stabilizing properties.1,2 The drug is not significantly bound to plasma proteins and it is excreted in the urine unchanged.3,4 The elimination half‐life in subjects with normal renal function is six to seven hours.3,5 However, since the elimination of the drug is closely related to glomerular filtration rate (GFR), its half‐life is prolonged in subjects with impaired renal function proportionately to the decrease in GFR.6 In dialysis patients, there is very little elimination of the drug during the interdialytic period. The apparent plasma half‐life of atenolol in these patients ranges between 42 and 73 hours.7–10 However, during a standard hemodialysis procedure of four hours, plasma concentration decreases by approximately 50%.10 No data are available on the effects of peritoneal dialysis on the elimination half‐life of this drug. The purpose of this study was to determine the plasma half‐life of this drug in patients treated with chronic peritoneal dialysis or chronic hemodialysis.