Commentary
Sodium bicarbonate to prevent cardiac surgery-associated kidney injury: the end of a dream?
1 Department of Nephrology and Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium
2 Department of Intensive Care, Erasme University Hospital, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1070 Brussels, Belgium
Critical Care 2012, 16:186 doi:10.1186/cc11837
See related research by Heringlake et al., http://ccforum.com/content/16/4/R156
Published: 12 December 2012Abstract
The rationale of urine alkalinization through intravenous sodium bicarbonate to prevent cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury relies on several pathophysiological arguments. Urine alkalinization is easily feasible in the ICU setting and is often considered to be associated with few side effects. In a previous issue of Critical Care, a retrospective study evaluates the effect of routine intravenous bicarbonate use to prevent cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury with cardiopulmonary bypass. This commentary discusses recent data on the use of bicarbonate to prevent cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury.
