Problem of radiocontrast nephropathy highlighted in new study

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Decrease in kidney function after dye injection link with increased mortality.
Investigation of heart disease often involves injection of a radiocontrast dye, to examine the state of the blood vessels. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh now point to a complication called radiocontrast nephropathy and the implications of the resulting drop in kidney function. They analyzed data on nearly 11,500 patients having coronary angiography and measured levels of serum creatinine before and after the procedure.

An increase in serum creatinine means a fall in kidney function. Those with larger increases and therefore larger decreases in kidney function had a higher death rate. They also had to spend longer in hospital. Prior research into radiocontrast nephropathy has suggested clinically significant decreases in kidney function occur when there are changes in creatinine or 0.5 or 1.0 mg/dL. In this study, a change of as little as 0.25 to 0.50 mg/dL was associated with an increase in death rate of 83 per cent. Therefore the danger of radiocontrast nephropathy is greater than previously realized. More should be done to monitor the accompanying decrease in kidney function.

Source
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology October 2006