sodium selenite: clinical use

Prescribing considerations

• Confirm deficiency or a relevant parenteral-nutrition requirement and individualise treatment according to selenium status.
• Dilute before intravenous administration and validate stability when adding it to parenteral nutrition.
• Avoid inadvertent accumulation and investigate suspected toxicity promptly.

Contraindications and cautions

• Hypersensitivity to selenium-containing products

Monitoring

• Measure serum or whole-blood selenium to guide and assess treatment.
• Use age-appropriate reference ranges in children.
• Consider earlier testing if clinical deficiency or excess is suspected.

Clinical pharmacology

Selenite is reduced to hydrogen selenide, used for selenoprotein synthesis or converted to methylated metabolites. Excess selenium is eliminated mainly through the kidneys, with additional faecal and pulmonary routes.

Formulation and product differences

• The selected product is a clear, colourless intravenous concentrate rather than an oral selenium supplement.
• It requires dilution and must not be injected undiluted.
• It is essentially sodium-free and contains water for injections as its excipient.

Solution for infusion

Route: Intravenous

Strengths: 10 micrograms/mL