A retrospective review of outcomes in the treatment of hyperammonemia with renal replacement therapy due to inborn errors of metabolism

Background Outcomes for severe hyperammonemia treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) reported in the literature vary widely. This has created differing recommendations regarding when RRT is beneficial for hyperammonemic patients. Methods To evaluate our institution's experience with RRT in pediatric patients with inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) and potential prognostic indicators of a better or worse outcome, we performed a retrospective chart review of patients who received RRT for hyperammonemia. Our cohort included 19 patients with confirmed IEMs who received RRT between 2000 and 2017. Descriptive statistics are presented as medians with interquartile ranges with appropriate statistical testing assuming unequal variance. Results There were 16 males (84%) and 3 females (16%) identified for inclusion in this study. There were 9 survivors (47%) and 10 non-survivors (53%). The average age of survivors was 67 months (age range from 3 days to 15.6 years). The average age of non-survivors was 1.8 months (age range from 2 days to 18.7 months). Peak ammonia, ammonia on admission, and at RRT initiation were higher in non-survivors compared with survivors. Higher ammonia levels and no change in ammonia between admission and RRT initiation were associated with an increased risk of mortality. Conclusions Hyperammonemia affects two distinct patient populations; neonates with markedly elevated ammonia levels on presentation and older children who often have established IEM diagnoses and require RRT after failing nitrogen-scavenging therapy. Our experience demonstrates no significant change in mortality associated with neonatal hyperammonemia, which remains high despite improvements in RRT and intensive care.