The effect of dopamine on renal function in solitary partial nephrectomy surgery

Purpose: Dopamine continues to be used for preventing and treating acute renal failure. We determined the effects of dopamine on postoperative renal function in patients with a solitary kidney undergoing partial nephrectomy. Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective randomized controlled study at a tertiary care referral center involving 24 patients with a solitary kidney undergoing partial nephrectomy secondary to malignancy. Patients were randomized to receive dopamine (13) or no dopamine (11). Intraoperatively those assigned to the dopamine group received a 3 mug./kg. per minute dopamine infusion. Patients in each group received an adequate amount of fluid to maintain good urine production, systemic blood pressure and central venous pressure. Serum electrolytes, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, serum and urine osmolality, and urine output were measured at baseline, intraoperatively and through postoperative day 4. Preoperatively and postoperatively renal blood flow and the glomerular filtration rate were measured. Results: In the 2 groups blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine increased postoperatively. Although the degree of this increase showed a trend to be lower in the dopamine group, the difference did not reach statistical significance. There was no difference in renal blood flow or the glomerular filtration rate in the treatment groups. Conclusions: Administering dopamine to patients with a solitary kidney undergoing partial nephrectomy provided no renoprotective effect.