Optimal experiment design for assessing plasma clearance of /sup 125/I-Iothalamate in peritoneal dialysis

Assessment of treatment adequacy in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) is important because the clearance rates obtained with this kind of therapy are small and are greatly affected by changes in residual renal function. The availability of a simple and accurate clinical test for measuring total clearance is a prerequisite for the efficacy of the follow-up of PD patients. In this study, the experiment design problem is considered for the plasma clearance approach, which is based on the analysis of concentration measurements of a test substance after impulsive injection of a known dose. In particular, the theoretical basis is given for determining the optimal time instants for collecting two blood samples for an accurate and precise assessment of total plasma clearance of /sup 125/I-Iothalamate.