Clinical observations have suggested that carnitine supplementation may be beneficial to a
subset of patients receiving chronic hemodialysis. In the absence of definitive clinical trials,
the clinician must decide for an individual patient whether a trial of carnitine therapy is
justified. The institution of carnitine therapy is further complicated by the availability of oral
and intravenous dosing forms and by the compound's complex pharmacokinetics. The oral
systemic bioavailability of carnitine in normal subjects is 5% to 16%, with peak plasma …