Impact of Tolvaptan Combined with Low-Dose Dopamine in Heart Failure Patients with Acute Kidney Injury

The impact of tolvaptan and low-dose dopamine on heart failure (HF) patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) remains uncertain from a clinical standpoint.

HF patients with AKI were selected and divided in a 1:1 fashion into the dopamine combined with the tolvaptan group (DTG), the tolvaptan group (TG), and the control group (CG). According to the standard of care, TG received tolvaptan 15 mg orally daily for a week. DTG received combination treatment, including 7 consecutive days of dopamine infusion (2 μg/kg・minutes) and oral tolvaptan 15 mg. Venous blood and urine samples were taken before and after therapy. The primary endpoint was the cardiorenal serological index after 7 days of treatment.

Sixty-five patients were chosen randomly for the DTG (22 patients), TG (20 patients), and CG (23 patients), which were similar before the treatment. The serum indexes related to cardiac function (N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide and cardiac troponin I) in DTG were decreased, compared with TG and CG (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the serological markers of renal function (serum cystatin C, serum creatinine, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) in DTG were lower than those in TG and CG (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions among groups.

Low-dose dopamine combined with tolvaptan can markedly improve patients' cardiac and renal function. This may be considered a new therapeutic method for HF patients with AKI.