CLINICAL-EVALUATION OF AN OPTIMIZED 1.1-PERCENT AMINO-ACID SOLUTION FOR PERITONEAL-DIALYSIS

A significant percentage of dialysed patients have inadequate protein intake. One strategy for treating the protein malnutrition in peritone al dialysis patients is to replace glucose in the dialysis solution by amino acids. A new peritoneal dialysis solution containing 1.1% amino acids in a formulation optimized for renal patients and with a lactat e concentration of 40 mmol/l has been evaluated. Fifteen CAPD patients completed a non-randomized prospective 3-month study. Each patient re ceived 2 litres of the optimised 1.1% amino acid solution for the seco nd exchange of the day with a dwell time of 5-6 h. Indicators of effic acy were serum albumin and transferrin. After 3 months of intraperiton eal amino acids, serum albumin levels significantly increased from 32. 7+/-2.3 to 35.1+/-2.2 g/l (mean+/-SD; P<0.01). This occurred in parall el with a significant increase in transferrin levels from 2.21+/-0.26 to 2.39+/-0.27 g/l (P<0.05). As expected, urea rose from 23.7+/-6.8 to 29.9+/-9.4 mmol/l. Interestingly bicarbonate did not change (25.5+/-4 .2 versus 25.2+/-3.3 mmol/l). These results suggest that the optimized formulation is effective in improving nutritional parameters in CAPD patients while avoiding unwanted side-effects such as acidosis.