EDTA

Administration

• Type: Antidote (chelator)
• Dosage Forms:
• Routes of Administration: IV/IM
• Alternate names: Calcium Disodium Edathamil, Calcium Disodium Edetate, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, Edetic acid, Edetate calcium

Adult Dosing

• Asymptomatic or symptomatic lead poisoning, level 20-70 mcg/dL: 1000 mg/m(2)/day IV over 8-12h OR IM in divided doses q8-12 hours
• Administer with dimercaprol if level >70 mcg/dL or symptomatic

Pediatric Dosing

• Same as above

Special Populations

• Pregnancy Rating: B
• Lactation risk: Infant risk cannot be ruled out
• Renal dosing: reduce dose if mild impairment, contraindicated if anuria or active renal disease
• Hepatic dosing: contraindicated in active hepatitis

Contraindications

• Allergy to class/drug
• Anuria, active renal disease
• Active hepatitis

Adverse Reactions

Serious

All listed here are relatively frequent complications

• Hypotension
• Thrombophlebitis
• Fever
• Nephrotoxicity
• Hypersensitivity reaction

Common

• Injection site pain
• Nausea/vomiting
• Myalgia
• Headache

Pharmacology

• Half-life: 20-60min
• Metabolism: Not metabolized
• Excretion: Renal

Mechanism of Action

• Divalent/trivalent metals (especially lead) replace calcium in EDTA forming stable, soluble complexes that are readily excreted

Indications by Condition

The following table is automatically generated from disease/condition pages across WikEM.

Indication	Dose	Context	Route	Population
Lead toxicity	1000-1500mg/m2/day IV continuous infusion x 5 days	Chelation, do not use as sole agent if encephalopathy	IV	Adult

See Also

• Antidotes
• Lead toxicity
• Dimercaprol