Creatinine Clearance + eGFR

Which formula matters when. CKD-EPI 2021 is what most labs report and what nephrology guidelines use for staging CKD. Cockcroft-Gault is still specified by many drug-dosing protocols (especially DOACs, vancomycin, and chemotherapy) by tradition — and because it gives an absolute clearance rather than a body-size-normalised one, which matters for renally-dosed drugs in obese or very thin patients. MDRD is the older eGFR formula and is being phased out in favor of CKD-EPI. When in doubt for drug dosing, use Cockcroft-Gault.

About the 2021 race-free update. Earlier CKD-EPI and MDRD formulas included a coefficient that adjusted upward for Black race. After years of clinical and equity advocacy, the National Kidney Foundation and ASN recommended removing the race coefficient in 2021. The 2021 CKD-EPI formula used here is the race-free version.