Serum levels and half-life of sotalol in chronic renal failure.

The elimination of sotalol was studied in 25 patients with chronic renal failure. All patients were given a single 160 mg dose of sotalol orally and their sotalol serum levels were determined after 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 hours. The elmination of sotalol was distinctly slower as the serum creatinine concentration rose. The half-lives, calculated graphically, were in lenear ratio to the serum creatinine values (r = 0,91; p less than 0.001). In accordance with the results, it is probable that sotalol accumulates in chronic renal insufficiency. Since beta-blockers may impair renal function, even in therapeutic concentrations, the dosage of sotalol, in particular, must be reduced in patient with kidney disease.