A comparison of dopexamine and dopamine to prevent renal impairment in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation.

The efficacy of low-dose dopamine as a renal protective agent was compared with that of dopexamine in patients who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation. Twelve patients who received a continuous infusion of dopexamine (1-3 micrograms/kg/minute) were matched for age, diagnosis, pre-operative creatinine clearance and blood loss with 12 patients who received a low-dose infusion of dopamine (2 micrograms/kg/minute). The catecholamine infusion was started after induction of anaesthesia and continued for 48 hours after surgery. Patients in the dopexamine group had less evidence of renal impairment and failure than those in the dopamine group during 7 days after the operation, although the differences between groups did not achieve statistical significance. Similarly there were no significant differences between the two groups in peri-operative urine output, urine/plasma osmolality ratio or creatine clearance. Dopexamine is at least as effective as dopamine for renal protection in patients who undergo liver transplantation.