Standardized approach of albumin, midodrine and octreotide on hepatorenal syndrome treatment response rate

Background Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) remains a serious complication of cirrhosis with a high mortality rate. There is little information on the effect of standardizing albumin, midodrine and octreotide combination on treatment response in patients with HRS. Objective The aim of the study was to determine the impact of a standardized HRS treatment regimen on renal function recovery. The primary outcome was full response rate. Secondary outcomes included partial and no response rates, 30-day all-cause mortality, ICU length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, liver transplantation and total dose of albumin. Methods This retrospective study evaluated the impact of using a standardized approach with albumin, midodrine and octreotide on treatment response rates compared to a historical group. Results Of the patients with HRS, 28 received a standardized approach with albumin, midodrine and octreotide while 60 received a nonstandardized approach. Ten percent of patients achieved full response in the prestandardization group compared with 25% in the poststandardization group (P = 0.07). Renal replacement therapy was significantly more prevalent in the prestandardization group vs. poststandardization group (45% vs. 21.4%, P = 0.03). Liver transplantation was performed significantly more often in the prestandardization group compared the poststandardization group (23% vs. 3.6%, P = 0.02). Amount of albumin used was statistically lower in the poststandardization group (425 vs. 332 g, P = 0.05). No significant differences in days of HRS treatment, mortality rate, hospital and ICU LOS were observed. Conclusion A trend towards improved treatment response rate was observed after standardizing the HRS treatment regimen. Standardized therapy led to significantly lower rates of renal replacement therapy and liver transplantation, suggesting patients in poststandardization were effectively managed medically without requiring further intervention.