Acute kidney injury
Acute kidney injury (AKI) was mentioned as an outcome in nine out of the
11 comparative studies. The results are mixed, with several stating no
difference in the rates of AKI seen between the two
groups2,20,44-49, one study reporting a significant
decrease in AKI in the non-Witness group50 and two
studies showing a significant decrease in AKI for
Witnesses15,51. The range of patients with
postoperative AKI in the comparative studies was large (0 to 73.3% for
Witnesses and 0 to 77.8% for the non-Witness group). Two of the
non-comparative studies found varying rates of AKI among Witnesses, with
one study reporting it in 2.5% of patients4, whereas
Duce et al. , which compared outcomes for Witnesses given EPO pre
operatively to those not given EPO, found AKI rates to be 47.17% and
41.51%, respectively8. The wide difference in rates
reported may be accounted for by the varying definition of AKI used and
the vast array in type of surgeries carried out in different studies,
which makes it problematic to form any definitive conclusion concerning
the risk of AKI in Witnesses following cardiac surgery.