Effect of sample heating on results of therapeutic drug monitoring

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Heat treatment is a convenient measure for pathogens inactivation. The authors investigated the effects of this method on blood concentrations of six commonly therapeutic drugs. Methods Plasma and whole blood were pretreated with or without heating at 56 °C for 30 min, and drug concentrations of vancomycin, methotrexate, valproic acid, digoxin, carbamazepine, and cyclosporine were examined. Results Increased valproic acid levels after plasma heating (63.2 ± 30.2 vs. 62.1 ± 29.8 mg/L, mean recovery 102.0%) and whole blood heating (64.5 ± 30.5 vs. 62.1 ± 29.8 mg/L, mean recovery 104.6%) were observed (both p<0.05), but these differences were not considered clinically important. Recoveries of vancomycin in heat treatments varied widely, with an average and significant decrease of 15.8% in value after whole blood heating (11.7 ± 8.1 vs. 13.7 ± 8.6 mg/L, p<0.05). Conclusions Plasma or whole blood heating at 56 °C for 30 min are feasible in pathogens inactivation during monitoring methotrexate, valproic acid, digoxin, carbamazepine, and cyclosporine. However, such pretreatment seems inappropriate in monitoring vancomycin concentrations. Those results highlight the need for caution when applying heat treatment for pathogens inactivation in therapeutic drug monitoring.