BJA Advance Access originally published online on August 16, 2006
British Journal of Anaesthesia 2006 97(5):611-616; doi:10.1093/bja/ael224
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Lack of renoprotective effect of i.v. N-acetylcysteine in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing cardiac surgery
1 Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Helsinki University Central Hospital Helsinki, Finland
2 Department of Clinical Chemistry, Helsinki University Central Hospital Helsinki, Finland
3 Department of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital Helsinki, Finland
4 National Agency for Medicines Helsinki, Finland
*Corresponding author: Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, PO Box 340 (Haartmaninkatu 4), FIN-00029 HUS, Finland. E-mail: anne.ristikankare{at}hus.fi
Background. Pre-existing chronic renal failure is a significant risk factor for acute renal failure (ARF) after cardiac surgery. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been shown to prevent contrast media-induced ARF. Our objective was to evaluate whether i.v. NAC has renoprotective effects in patients with mild renal failure undergoing cardiac surgery.
Methods. In this prospective, randomized, double-blind study, 80 patients with mild to moderate renal failure undergoing elective heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass were recruited. All received either i.v. NAC (n=38) or placebo (n=39) at induction of anaesthesia and then up to 20 h. Urine N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and urine creatinine ratio, plasma creatinine, and serum cystatin C levels indicated renal function.
Results. Levels of urinary NAG/creatinine ratio, plasma creatinine and serum cystatin C did not significantly differ between NAC and placebo groups during five postoperative days. Urine NAG/creatinine ratio increased over 30% in 100% of patients in the NAC group vs 92.3% in the placebo group (P=0.081). Plasma creatinine increased by 25% from baseline or over 44 µmol litre1 in 42.1% in NAC group vs 48.7% in placebo group (P=0.560). Serum cystatin C exceeded 1.4 mg litre1 in 78.9% in NAC group vs 61.5% in placebo group (P=0.096).
Conclusions. Prophylactic treatment with i.v. N-acetylcysteine had no renoprotective effect in patients with pre-existing renal failure undergoing cardiac surgery.
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