Objective:
Examine the relationship between perioperative renal regional oximetry (rSO2), urinary biomarkers, and acute kidney injury (AKI) in infants after congenital cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.
Design:
Prospective, observational.
Setting:
Cardiac operating room and intensive care unit (CICU)
Patients:
Neonates and infants without history of kidney injury or anatomic renal abnormality.
Interventions:
None.
Measurements and Main Results:
Renal rSO2 was measured intraoperatively and for 48 hours postoperatively. Urinary levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP-2) together with insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) were measured preoperatively, 2, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively. Patients were categorized as no AKI, Stage 1, or Stage 2–3 AKI using KDIGO criteria with 43/70 (61%) meeting criteria for any stage AKI. Stage 2–3 AKI patients had higher [TIMP-2]•[IGFBP7] at 2 hours (0.3 vs. 0.14 for Stage 1 AKI and 0.05 for no AKI, P=0.052) and 24 hours postop (1.71 vs. 0.27 for Stage 1 AKI and 0.19 for no AKI, P=0.027) and higher NGAL levels at 24 hours postop (10.3 vs. 3.4 for Stage 1 AKI and 6.2 for no AKI, P=0.019). Stage 2–3 AKI patients had lower mean CICU renal rSO2 (66% vs. 79% for Stage 1 AKI and 84% for no AKI, P=0.038). Regression analyses showed that [TIMP-2]•[IGFBP7] at 2 hours postop and nadir intraoperative renal rSO2 to be independent predictors of postoperative kidney damage as measured by urinary NGAL.
Conclusions:
We observed modest differences in perioperative renal rSO2 and urinary biomarker levels compared between AKI groups classified by creatinine-dependent KDIGO criteria, but there were significant correlations between renal rSO2, [TIMP-2]•[IGFBP7], and postoperative NGAL levels. Kidney injury after infant cardiac surgery may be undetectable by functional assessment (creatinine) alone and continuous monitoring of renal rSO2 may be more sensitive to important subclinical AKI.