Abstract
Summary
The effects of 24 hr intravenous infusion of dopamine in 9 cirrhotic patients without azotemia and one patient with mildly elevated BUN were studied. Dopamine (3, 4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine) 2 μg/kg/min produced statistically significant decrease in creatinine clearance and urine osmolarity, and an increase in urinary sodium excretion of borderline significance. These could be attributed to “shunting” of blood from the renal cortex to the medulla brought about by dopamine. This effect was reversible when the drug infusion was discontinued. The therapeutic value of dopamine in hepatorenal syndrome is therefore being questioned.
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