Acute Kidney Injury in Children Operated for Congenital Heart Disease

Acute Kidney Injury in Children Operated for Congenital Heart Disease

The purpose of this study was to investigate if repeated inflation of a blood pressure cuff applied around one leg causing mild ischemia ("remote ischemic preconditioning") could protect children operated for congenital heart disease from developing acute kidney injury.

Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) refers to an intervention of remote, brief ischemia which confers systemic protection against consequences of reperfusion injury in distant organs. RIPC has been shown to protect various organs during major surgeries. Our hypothesis was that RIPC could protect kidney function in children operated for complex congenital heart disease.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children admitted for surgery for congenital heart disease

Exclusion Criteria:

• heart surgeries of low complexity such as closure of septal defects, aortico-pulmonary windows, establishment of glenn shunts, subaortic membrane resection, redirection of anomalous pulmonary veins, valvotomies, repair of pulmonary artery stenosis and surgeries without the use of extracorporeal circulation