Benefit of Intravenous Essential Amino-Acids in Catabolic Patients on Chronic Maintenance Hemodialysis

SummaryThe effect on the clinical status of catabolic hemodialysis patients of I.V. essential amino-acids administered over 3 months at the end of each dialysis is assessed in an open clinical follow-up study of 10 patients; these patients showed a progressive deterioration of general condition and a progressive weight loss in the period before the start of the treatment. The study was undertaken in a hospital dialysis unit, with as main outcome measures body weight, hematocrit, a scoring index of general condition and degree of edema. In patients showing a progressive and consistent loss of body weight in the months preceding the study, after the first treatment month, body weight started to rise, increasing after 3 months from 56.2 ± 2.3 to 58.6 ± 2.4 kg (p < 0.01). The hematocrit raised from 22.4 ± 1.6 % up to 26.5 ± 1.9 % (p < 0.02).Over this period, only 2 liters of packed cells were administered, in contrast to an overall need of 13 liters in the preceding 6 months. Peripheral and/or pulmonary edema...