Which medication is dialyzed off easily?

Which medication is dialyzed off easily?

• A. Digoxin
• B. Heparin
• C. Furosemide
• D. Acetaminophen

Answer: (A)

Dialysis clears a drug most effectively when the drug is small, water-soluble, and not highly bound to proteins or tissues—so it stays mainly in the bloodstream and can cross the dialysis membrane. Acetaminophen fits this: it has a low molecular weight, minimal protein binding, and is largely present in plasma water, making it readily removed by dialysis. Digoxin, in contrast, distributes widely into tissues and has a large volume of distribution, so only a small amount remains in the blood for dialysis to remove, making it poorly dialyzable. Heparin is a large molecule, and furosemide is highly protein-bound, both of which limit dialysis clearance. So acetaminophen is the drug dialyzed off easily.

Dialysis clears a drug most effectively when the drug is small, water-soluble, and not highly bound to proteins or tissues—so it stays mainly in the bloodstream and can cross the dialysis membrane.

Acetaminophen fits this: it has a low molecular weight, minimal protein binding, and is largely present in plasma water, making it readily removed by dialysis. Digoxin, in contrast, distributes widely into tissues and has a large volume of distribution, so only a small amount remains in the blood for dialysis to remove, making it poorly dialyzable. Heparin is a large molecule, and furosemide is highly protein-bound, both of which limit dialysis clearance. So acetaminophen is the drug dialyzed off easily.