The Effects Of Dopamine On Renal Blood Flow Measured With Transesophageal Echocardiography In Cardiovascular Surgery

BACKGROUND: Perioperative renal dysfunction is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular surgery. At least 50% of all postoperative renal dysfunction is directly attributed to renal hypoperfusion during cardiovascular surgery. Dopamine prescribed in a low dose can increase renal blood flow and attenuate or prevent renal ischemia without decrease in the other vital organs blood flow. However, this concept has been challenged. The effects of dopamine on renal blood flow during cardiovascular surgery have still been ambiguous because of the lack of efficient monitoring methods used during surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of monitoring the renal blood flow with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and evaluate the effects of dopamine on renal blood flow in cardiovascular surgery. METHOD: Sixty patients with normal renal function, scheduled for elective cardiovascular surgery were enrolled. They were randomly...