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Association between urinary dickkopf-3, acute kidney injury, and subsequent loss of kidney function in patients undergoing cardiac surgery: an observational cohort study

Stefan J. Schunk, A. Zarbock, M. Meersch, M. Küllmar, J. Kellum, David Schmit, Martina Wagner, S. Triem et al.

The Lancet, 2019

136 citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Cardiac surgery is associated with a high risk of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) and subsequent loss of kidney function. We explored the clinical utility of urinary dickkopf-3 (DKK3), a renal tubular stress marker, for preoperative identification of patients at risk for AKI and subsequent kidney function loss.

METHODS

This observational cohort study included patients who had cardiac surgery in a derivation cohort and those who had cardiac surgery in a validation cohort (RenalRIP trial). The study comprised consecutive patients who had elective cardiac surgery at the Saarland University Medical Centre (Homburg, Germany; derivation cohort) and those undergoing elective cardiac surgery (selected on the basis of a Cleveland Clinical Foundation score of 6 or higher) who were enrolled in the prospective RenalRIP multicentre trial (validation cohort) and who were randomly assigned to remote ischaemic preconditioning or a sham procedure. The association between the ratio of preoperative urinary concentrations of DKK3 to creatinine (DKK3:creatinine) and postoperative AKI, defined according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria, and subsequent kidney function loss, as determined by estimated glomerular filtration rate, was assessed.

FINDINGS

In the 733 patient in the derivation cohort, urinary concentrations of DKK3 to creatinine that were higher than 471 pg/mg were associated with significantly increased risk for AKI (odds ratio [OR] 1·65, 95%…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.

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