Peripheral venous route for administration of ammonul infusion for treatment of acute hyperammonemia : An experience from a tertiary center in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES: To determine the local effects of peripheral Ammonul infusion on the skin and the subcutaneous tissues. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All children <16 years of age admitted between December 2015 and October 2018 with hyperammonemia and received Ammonul infusion for treatment were recruited. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients received the Ammonul infusion. They were admitted 58 times with acute hyperammonemia during the study period, with an average of 2.8 admissions per patient. The mean age of the included patients was 49.5 months. The most frequent underlying diagnoses were propionic acidemia (n=9), urea cycle disorders (n=5), and intrinsic liver disease (n=3). All participants received Ammonul through peripheral lines except 3 who received it through central lines. No extravasation, burns, or other local side effects were observed in this cohort. CONCLUSION: This data indicate that the use of Ammonul through a peripheral venous route appears to be safe and not associated with infusion-related local adverse effects.