Previous studies in other settings suggested that urine output (UO) might affect NephroCheck predictive value. We investigated the correlation between NephroCheck and UO in cardiac surgery patients.

Post hoc analysis of a multicenter study.

University hospital.

Patients who underwent cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and crystalloid cardioplegia.

All patients underwent NephroCheck testing 4 hours after CPB discontinuation. The primary outcome was the correlation between UO, NephroCheck results, and acute kidney injury (AKI, defined according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes). Of 354 patients, 337 were included. Median NephroCheck values were 0.06 (ng/mL)²/1,000) for the overall population and 0.15 (ng/mL)²/1,000) for patients with moderate to severe AKI. NephroCheck showed a significant inverse correlation with UO (ρ = −0.17; p = 0.002) at the time of measurement. The area under the receiver characteristic curve (AUROC) for NephroCheck was 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54–0.65), whereas for serum creatinine was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.78–0.86; p < 0.001). When limiting the analysis to the prediction of moderate to severe AKI, NephroCheck had a AUROC of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.77 to 0.86; p<0.0001), while creatinine an AUROC of 0.83 (95% CI, 0.79–0.87; p = 0.001).

NephroCheck measured 4 hours after the discontinuation from the CPB predicts moderate to severe AKI. However, a lower threshold may be necessary in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. Creatinine measured at the same time of the test remains a reliable marker of subsequent development of renal failure.