Adoption of a novel biomarker-guided quality improvement treatment bundle for patients with subclinical acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery: a Royal Brompton Hospital-King’s Health Partners Innovation Project

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common major complication of cardiac surgery, affecting up to 40% of patients, with associated mortality of up to 50%.1 2 G1 cell cycle arrest biomarkers tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) have been shown to be predictive of AKI after cardiac surgery.3 Urinary biomarker-guided identification of high-risk patients, alongside implementation of a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)-based care bundle, can reduce the incidence of post-cardiac surgery AKI.