title: Efficacy of low-dose dopamine in preventing amphotericin B nephrotoxicity in bone marrow transplant patients and leukemia patients.
abstract: This study evaluated the efficacy of low-dose dopamine for prevention of amphotericin B-induced nephrotoxicity in autologous bone marrow transplant and leukemia patients. Seventy-one patients undergoing cytoreductive therapy who required amphotericin B were randomly assigned in an unblinded fashion to a group receiving continuous-infusion low-dose dopamine (3 microgram/kg/min) or a group receiving no dopamine. Amphotericin B was dosed at 0.5 or 1.0 mg/kg/day based on computerized tomography scan results or presence of positive blood cultures. No patient received saline boluses. The rate of nephrotoxicity, severity as graded by Southwest Oncology Group toxicity criteria, and time to each grade of nephrotoxicity were compared between the two groups. Eighty percent of the no-dopamine group and 66.7% of the dopamine group developed nephrotoxicity, defined as a 1.5-fold or greater increase in baseline serum creatinine level (P = 0.20). No statistical difference was noted at any grade of nephrotoxicity between the two groups. Thirty-four percent of patients in the no-dopamine group versus 17.6% in the dopamine group had a 2.5-fold or greater increase in serum creatinine level, which was not statistically significant (P = 0.0888). Ten patients developed grade IV nephrotoxicity and were withdrawn from the study, 7 in the no-dopamine group and 3 in the dopamine group (P = 0.19). The time to each grade of nephrotoxicity was also not significantly different for the two groups. Eleven adverse drug reactions were reported in the dopamine group in comparison to one in the no-dopamine group. Thus, dopamine offers little in the way of prevention of nephrotoxicity associated with amphotericin B therapy. Although the significance of drug reactions in the dopamine group is not clearly established due to lack of cardiac monitoring in the no-dopamine group, dopamine therapy is not without complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Services, Emory University Hospital, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. MJCampOBI@earthlink.net
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Camp
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Wingard
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Dix
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Geller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D004298:Dopamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000666:Amphotericin B; D004298:Dopamine