Effect of essential amino acid supplementation in acute renal failure

The effect of intravenous (i.v.) essential amino acids (EAA) in the treatment of acute renal failure was evaluated in 50 patients. Thirty patients (Group A) received daily 13.4 g of i.v. EAA solution [Nephramine (Don Baxter, McGraw) 250 ml/d]+dopamine i.v. 2 micrograms/kg/min + 20% hypertonic glucose solution 500 ml/d as compared with twenty patients (Group B) who received dopamine i.v. 2 micrograms/kg/min + 20% hypertonic glucose solution 500 ml/d. In Group A patients showed lower daily increase in blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (p < 0.05), higher serum total protein and albumin levels on the 15th day of the posttherapy period (p < 0.001), lower complication rate (p < 0.005), lower mortality rate (p < 0.005) and a reverse relation between serum total protein concentration, duration of oliguria and age (p < 0.01, r2 = 0.26; p < 0.001, r2 = 0.32). These data suggest that treatment of such patients with i.v. EAA solutions significantly improves survival.