Abstract
The amount of urea production between one dialysis and the next was calculated, utilizing urea kinetics.
The protein catabolic rate (PCR) was obtained by applying this to the Gotch formula to estimate the amount of protein ingestion in patients under dialysis. The amounts of urea, uric acid, creatinine-N and NPN produced were calculated by using a similar formula, and an estimation as to the amount of protein ingested was attempted by multiplying this value by 6.25. The former gave a low value, but the latter a high value. Therefore, it appears to be more reasonable to use the PCR in the Gotch formula in Japanese dialysis patients. The amount calculated was found to be about 10% less than the actual protein intake.
A significant decrease in the amount of urea production along with a prolongation of the intervals between dialyses to one, two and three days is of considerable interest.