🏠 Home 🧪 Kidney Function 💉 Hemodialysis 🧪 Peritoneal Dialysis 📋 Acute Kidney Injury ⚡ Acid-Base 💧 Fluid & Electrolytes 🧬 Nutrition 🧪 Mineral Metabolism 📐 General
Normalized Protein Catabolic Rate (nPCR) Calculator
← Back to Calculators

🧬 Normalized Protein Catabolic Rate (nPCR)

Assesses nutritional status and protein intake in dialysis patients

📋 Clinical Utility: nPCR reflects dietary protein intake and nutritional status in hemodialysis patients.
Target: nPCR ≥ 1.0 g/kg/day indicates adequate protein intake.
Low nPCR: < 0.8 g/kg/day suggests protein-energy wasting (PEW).

👤 Patient Information
kg
Use target weight (dry weight) for hemodialysis patients.
cm
Optional — used for BMI calculation and nutritional assessment.
💉 Dialysis Data
mL/min
Dialyzer urea clearance at blood flow rate.
hours
🧪 Laboratory Values
mg/dL
Pre-dialysis blood urea nitrogen.
mg/dL
Post-dialysis blood urea nitrogen (after the session).
L
Fluid removed during dialysis session.
🧬 Residual Kidney Function (Optional)
mL/min
Measured from 24-hour urine collection. Enter 0 if anuric.

📖 Understanding nPCR

Interpretation Guidelines
  • ≥ 1.2 g/kg/day: High protein intake
  • 1.0 - 1.2 g/kg/day: Adequate (target range)
  • 0.8 - 1.0 g/kg/day: Borderline — monitor closely
  • < 0.8 g/kg/day: Low — suggests PEW
Clinical Significance
  • nPCR reflects actual protein intake in stable patients
  • Low nPCR is associated with increased mortality
  • nPCR < 0.8 suggests protein-energy wasting (PEW)
  • nPCR > 1.4 may indicate excessive protein intake
  • Part of comprehensive nutritional assessment
💡 Clinical Pearl: nPCR should be interpreted with Kt/V. If nPCR is low but Kt/V is adequate, consider poor dietary intake. If both are low, consider inadequate dialysis prescription.
📖 nPCR Formula (Depner & Daugirdas):
nPCR = (0.0073 × (Pre-BUN + Post-BUN)) + (0.0176 × (Pre-BUN - Post-BUN) / (Session Duration × Frequency))
Alternative Formula: nPCR = 0.0073 × (Pre-BUN + Post-BUN) + 0.0176 × (Pre-BUN - Post-BUN) / t
Where t = time between dialysis sessions (hours)
✍️ Author: Ahmed Mohmad Rashyd Musleh Registered Staff Nurse