Postoperative saline administration following cardiac surgery: impact of high versus low-volume administration on acute kidney injury

Acute kidney disease (AKI) is a known complication following cardiac surgery seen in almost one third of patients (1-3). AKI increases morbidity and mortality and of course affects the financial burden. Age, sex, preoperative renal function, diabetes mellitus, postoperative hypoperfusion, chronic hypertension and prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time contribute in varying proportions for the development of renal injury following heart surgery (4,5). Although CPB time is an independent risk factor, off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting surgery can lead to AKI and many studies suggest that perioperative intravenous fluid administration could be considered also as an important factor for better preservation of postoperative renal function (6,7).