Renal artery stenosis is not associated with the development of acute renal failure following coronary artery bypass grafting

Background: Acute renal failure (ARF) is a frequent complication of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery and is strongly associated with perioperative morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that renal artery stenosis (RAS), causing occult renal ischemia, may be an important factor contributing to development of ARF after CABG surgery. Methods: Preoperative and intraoperative data on 798 consecutive adult patients undergoing CABG surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass from February 1, 1995 to February 1, 1997 (who had also undergone an abdominal aortogram for the evaluation of RAS) were recorded and entered into a computerized database. The development of ARF was defined as a rise in serum creatinine of 1 mg/dL (88.4 μmol/L) above baseline postoperatively. The association between the presence of renal artery stenosis together with preoperative and intraoperative variables and the development of ARF was assessed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 798 patients underwent isolated coronary bypass grafting, of which 18.7% demonstrated 50% or more RAS. ARF developed in 82 patients (10.2%), of which three (0.3%) required dialysis support. The mortality for patients who developed ARF was 14% (OR 15, P=0.0001) compared to 0.2% among those who did not develop ARF. The presence of renal artery stenosis of any severity ranging from unilateral 50% RAS to bilateral 95% RAS was not associated with the subsequent development of ARF. Conclusions: The development of ARF following CABG surgery is associated with high mortality. The presence of RAS does not appear to increase the risk for developing ARF.