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Hypoalbuminemia is frequently observed in hospitalized patients and it can be associated with several different diseases, including cirrhosis, malnutrition, nephrotic syndrome and sepsis. Regardless of its cause, hypoalbuminemia has a strong predictive value on mortality and morbidity. Over the years, the rationale for the use of albumin has been extensively debated and the indications for human serum albumin supplementation have changed. As the knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanisms of the pertinent diseases has increased, the indications for intravenous albumin supplementation have progressively decreased. The purpose of this brief article is to review the causes of hypoalbuminemia and the current indications for intravenous administration of albumin. Based on the available data and considering the costs, albumin supplementation should be limited to well-defined clinical scenarios and to include patients with cirrhosis and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, patients with cirrhosis undergoing large volume paracentesis, the treatment of type 1 hepatorenal syndrome, fluid resuscitation of patients with sepsis, and therapeutic plasmapheresis with exchange of large volumes of plasma. While albumin supplementation is accepted also in other clinical situations such as burns, nephrotic syndrome, hemorrhagic shock and prevention of hepatorenal syndrome, within these contexts it does not represent a first-choice treatment nor is its use supported by widely accepted guidelines.

The aim of the study was to verify the effects of the administration of an inhibitor of the release of endogenous vasodilators together with a vasoconstrictor agent in patients with hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). This new medical perspective was compared with a traditional medical approach for HRS, such as the infusion of nonpressor doses of dopamine to produce renal vasodilation. Thirteen patients with type 1 HRS were enrolled in the study. Five of them were treated with the oral administration of midodrine and the parenteral administration of octreotide. In addition, the patients received 50 to 100 mL of 20% human albumin solution daily for 20 days. Midodrine and octreotide were dosed to obtain a stable increase of at least 15 mm Hg of mean arterial pressure. Eight patients were treated with the intravenous administration of nonpressor doses of dopamine (2-4 g/kg/min) and the same daily amount of albumin. After 20 days of treatment with midodrine and octreotide, an impressive improvement in renal plasma flow (RPF), glomerular filtration rate, and urinary sodium excretion was observed in patients. This was accompanied by a significant reduction in plasma renin activity, plasma vasopressin, and plasma glucagon. No side effects were observed. Three patients were discharged from the hospital. One of them successfully underwent liver transplantation. One of the two remaining patients is still alive after 472 days with a preserved renal function, and the other died from terminal liver failure after 76 days. One of the two patients who were not discharged from the hospital successfully underwent liver transplantation, and the other died from pneumonia after 29 days. Seven out of eight patients who were treated with dopamine experienced a progressive deterioration in renal function and died during the first 12 days. Only one patient recovered renal function and underwent liver transplantation. In conclusion, the long-term administration of midodrine and octreotide seems to be an effective and safe treatment of type 1 HRS in patients with cirrhosis. (HEPATOLOGY 1999;29:1690-1697.)Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) occurs in 18% of cirrhotic patients with ascites. HRS is characterized by intense vasoconstriction, low glomerular filtration rate (GFR), preserved tubular function, and normal renal histology. 1 The diagnostic criteria of HRS have been recently reviewed, and HRS has been classified on a clinical basis into two different types: type 1 characterized by rapidly progressive renal function impairment and type 2 in which renal failure does not have a rapidly progressive course. 2 From a pathophysiological point of view HRS is considered to be the extreme expression of a reduced effective circulating volume because of arteriolar vasodilation, particularly in the splanchnic area. 3 Consequently, the extreme increase in the activity of both renin-angiotensin and sympathetic nervous system as well as the elevated circulating levels of endothelin are the most likely cause of HRS. [4][5][6][7][8][9]

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