BackgroundAcute kidney injury (AKI) increases the risk of death after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Recently, a new AKI definition was proposed by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) organization. The aim of the current study was to compare the incidence and the early and late mortality of AKI diagnosed by RIFLE and KDIGO criteria in the first 7 days of hospitalization due to an AMI.Methods and ResultsIn total, 1,050 AMI patients were prospectively studied. AKI defined by RIFLE and KDIGO occurred in 14.8% and 36.6% of patients, respectively. By applying multivariate Cox analysis, AKI was associated with an increased adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) for 30-day death of 3.51 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.35–5.25, p<0.001) by RIFLE and 3.99 (CI 2.59–6.15, p<0.001) by KDIGO and with an AHR for 1-year mortality of 1.84 (CI 1.12–3.01, p = 0.016) by RIFLE and 2.43 (CI 1.62–3.62, p<0.001) by KDIGO. The subgroup of patients diagnosed as non-AKI by RIFLE but as AKI by KDIGO criteria had also an increased AHR for death of 2.55 (1.52–4.28) at 30 days and 2.28 (CI 1.46–3.54) at 1 year (p<0.001).ConclusionsKDIGO criteria detected substantially more AKI patients than RIFLE among AMI patients. Patients diagnosed as AKI by KDIGO but not RIFLE criteria had a significantly higher early and late mortality. In this study KDIGO criteria were more suitable for AKI diagnosis in AMI patients than RIFLE criteria.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is highly prevalent worldwide and is associated with an increased risk for adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In studies including thousands of patients admitted with myocardial infarction, CKD consistently determines a poorer prognosis for ACS patients. In contrast with CKD, information about the effect of acute kidney injury (AKI) on clinical outcomes after ACS is limited. Most data come from retrospective registry databank studies of nonconsecutive patients with a significant number of patients excluded from analyses. There are no prospective studies designed to determine whether AKI strictly diagnosed by the new the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) or RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, and End-stage kidney disease) criteria is a risk factor for death after ACS, and there are no data comparing the RIFLE and AKIN criteria for AKI diagnosis after myocardial infarction. This article reviews the most important data on CKD and ACS and the available data on AKI and ACS. The importance of obtaining an early serum creatinine level after admission for ACS and the importance of renal function monitoring during hospitalization are stressed.

BackgroundThe role of an impaired estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at hospital admission in the outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been underreported. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of an admission eGFR<60 mL/min/1.73 m2 on the incidence and early and late mortality of AMI-associated AKI.MethodsA prospective study of 828 AMI patients was performed. AKI was defined as a serum creatinine increase of ≥50% from the time of admission (RIFLE criteria) in the first 7 days of hospitalization. Patients were divided into subgroups according to their eGFR upon hospital admission (MDRD formula, mL/min/1.73 m2) and the development of AKI: eGFR≥60 without AKI, eGFR<60 without AKI, eGFR≥60 with AKI and eGFR<60 with AKI.ResultsOverall, 14.6% of the patients in this study developed AKI. The admission eGFR had no impact on the incidence of AKI. However, the admission eGFR was associated with the outcome of AMI-associated AKI. The adjusted hazard ratios (AHR, Cox multivariate analysis) for 30-day mortality were 2.00 (95% CI 1.11–3.61) for eGFR<60 without AKI, 4.76 (95% CI 2.45–9.26) for eGFR≥60 with AKI and 6.27 (95% CI 3.20–12.29) for eGFR<60 with AKI. Only an admission eGFR of <60 with AKI was significantly associated with a 30-day to 1-year mortality hazard (AHR 3.05, 95% CI 1.50–6.19).ConclusionsAKI development was associated with an increased early mortality hazard in AMI patients with either preserved or impaired admission eGFR. Only the association of impaired admission eGFR and AKI was associated with an increased hazard for late mortality among these patients.

Background Periprocedural myocardial injury after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) may affect the patient's prognosis and may be due to a different set of factors beyond the atherosclerotic plaque instability. Considering the challenges in the diagnosis of myocardial injury after CABG, the aim of this study was to determine the association between postoperative early elevation of high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) and all-cause 30-day mortality after CABG. Methods We enrolled 600 consecutive patients who underwent CABG. The hsTnT value was measured immediately before surgery and in the morning of the first postoperative day. Results The baseline hsTnT was 13 ng/L (7–26 ng/L) and 273 patients (45.7%) had baseline hsTnT above the 99th percentile/upper reference limit (URL) (14 ng/L). The median for hsTnT at first postoperative day was 235 ng/L (152–425 ng/L). We calculated the postoperative hsTnT ratio to URL for each patient, representing the number of times exceeding the URL (hsTnT value divided by 14 ng/L). The multivariate analysis by Cox proportional hazard model revealed that age (years) (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.20; p < 0.001) and postoperative hsTnT ratio to URL (per 10-fold increase) (HR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04–1.08; p < 0.001) were independent predictors of all-cause 30-day mortality after CABG. Conclusion In our series, age and higher postoperative hsTnT levels were independent and reliable predictors of all-cause 30-day mortality after CABG.