Cristina Quintavalle, Chiara Sordelli, Giovanni Napolitano, Gerolama Condorelli and Carlo Briguori
Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) accounts for approximately 10% of all causes of hospital-acquired renal failure, causes a prolonged in-hospital stay and represents a strong predictor of poor early and late outcome. A general consensus exists on the beneficial prophylactic effect of hydration The Renal Guard system (PLC Medical System, Inc. Franklin, MA, USA) has been developed to facilitate optimal hydration therapy. This device allows to achieve high urine flow rate (≥ 300 ml/h) while simultaneously balancing urine output and venous fluid infusion to prevent hypovolemia. Some studies have shown that the Renal Guard system is more effective than the conventional hydration regimen in preventing CI-AKI. A recent study suggests that the best threshold for CI-AKI prevention is a mean intraprocedural urine flow rate ≥ 450 ml/h.
