Influence of Albumin on the Development of Acute Renal Dysfunction Associated With Cardiac Surgery Under Extracorporeal Circulation

Acute renal dysfunction associated with cardiac surgery (DRA-ACC) in our hospital population affects 39% of patients, being an important cause of morbidity and mortality, increasing the need for dialysis and assuming a prolongation of stay in the unit of intensive care, as well as an increase in the economic cost.

In this sense, extracorporeal circulation (CPB) is a clear aggression for renal function due to multiple effects, not entirely known.

Human albumin is sometimes used as part of the priming of the CEC circuit in variable concentration according to published centers and studies, demonstrating benefits on the maintenance of plasma oncotic pressure during the period of ECC, as well as other effects that can protect renal function during this period of renal injury.

Despite the use of albumin in the ECC priming both in Spain and in other countries, there are currently no published studies demonstrating the effect of albumin on renal function administered during CPB in cardiac surgery during the postoperative period. with a high incidence of kidney injury, although there are current studies that confirm a decrease in the incidence of kidney injury in patients with hypoalbuminemia and who undergo heart surgery without extracorporeal circulation.

The hypothesis of this study is based on the potential protective effect of albumin on renal function in patients undergoing heart surgery under CPB, in which there is a high incidence of postoperative hypoalbuminemia.

This study aims to obtain information about the effect that albumin can have in this population of patients with a high incidence of acute renal dysfunction, and if this benefit exists, whether it is significant or not to justify its systematic use.