Perioperative renal preservation: Dopexamine and fenoldopam— New agents to augment renal performance

Data clearly demonstrate significant increases in morbidity, mortality, and resource utilization in patients who developed postoperative renal dysfunction. The ability to “selectively” augment renal performance has farreaching implications in the perioperative setting. Of the two agents presented here, fenoldopam probably better offers the ability to selectively stimulate DA-1 receptors. Although clinical trials testing the ability to prevent or treat renal failure are clearly warranted, the introduction of fenoldopam into clinical practice provides a new pharmacologic option for managing perioperative renal function.