Fenoldopam: Not for Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery

No difference between placebo and this renal vasodilator was seen, except for fenoldopam-associated hypotension.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) commonly occurs after cardiac surgery and can increase costs, morbidity, and mortality. Effective strategies to prevent AKI have been elusive. Small, single-center trials and meta-analyses have suggested that fenoldopam — a selective agonist of the dopamine D1 receptor, with renal vasodilatory and natriuretic effects — effectively reduces AKI. These researchers designed a randomized, double-blind, multicenter study to more definitively assess fenoldopam's effect on AKI after cardiac surgery (NCT00621790).

Among 9235 cardiac-surgery patients who agreed to participate, 667 developed early AKI (creatinine increases of ≥50% over baseline, or oliguria) and were randomized in intensive care units (ICUs) to infusion of fen…

Reviewing Author

Frederick A. Masoudi, MD, MSPH, FACC, FAHA

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardBristol Myers Squibb; CPC Clinical Research

Grant/Research SupportNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Editorial BoardsUpToDate; American College of Cardiology Self-Assessment Program (SAP)

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican College of Cardiology (Chair, Innovations Committee)