Chewed vs. Crushed Lanthanum Carbonate in Hemodialysis Patients
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2009-11-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) commonly develop hyperphosphatemia due to the
loss of excretory function of the kidney. This in turn may lead to the development of
secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) and renal osteodystrophy. Lanthanum carbonate, a
phosphate binding agent, works by releasing lanthanum ions in the gastrointestinal tract to
bind dietary phosphate and is effective in the management of hyperphosphatemia and in
preventing secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Patients taking lanthanum carbonate as part of their phosphate binder therapy are counseled
to chew the tablets completely before swallowing, with or immediately after meals. However,
ESRD patients who are intubated or are receiving enteral tube feedings are unable to chew the
lanthanum carbonate tablets. For such patients, medications are commonly crushed and
administered through a gastrostomy tube (G-tube). Some patients may also prefer to crush the
lanthanum carbonate tablets and mix it with food instead of chewing. To date, it is not known
if crushing the lanthanum carbonate tablets prior to administration and taking it with food
will be as efficacious as chewing it.
The objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of phosphate binding between chewed
and crushed lanthanum carbonate in patients undergoing hemodialysis.