Desmopressin v.1

Desmopressin

Desmopressin acetate (DDAVP) is a synthetic analog of vasopressin and like ADH, epinephrine, and insulin, releases a variety of hemostatically active substances from vascular endothelium.  It is administered in doses of 0.3 µg/kg by intravenous, intranasal, or subcutaneous routes.  It has a half life of 55 minutes, (with clinical effects lasting from 5 to 6 hours) and results in an approximate fourfold increase in circulating levels of factor VIII, prostacycline, t-PA, and von Willebrand factor (vWF).  The overall effect of desmopressin is hemostatic and it has been used to treat uremia, cirrhosis, platelet disorders, and mild or moderate cases of hemophilia A (von Willebrand’s disease).

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