Procainamide - serum
Last updated: Thursday, 25, March, 2004
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| Item | Process |
|---|---|
| Specimen | 5 mL blood in plain tube, collected as a trough level immediately prior to next dose. |
| Method | Chromatography or immunoassay. |
| Therapeutic Interval | Procainamide: 17-42 mmol/L (4-10 mg/L) |
| Application | Therapeutic drug monitoring. |
| Interpretation | Both procainamide and its major metabolite N-acetyl procainamide are active pharmacologically and should be measured as the relative levels differ in slow or fast acetylators. Procainamide half-life is about 3 hours, whereas N-acetylprocainamide has a half-life of about 6-9 hours. |
| Reference | Karlsson E. Clin Pharmcokinet 1978; 3: 97-107. |