Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Does Not Predict Acute Kidney Injury in Heart Failure

BACKGROUND Acute cardiorenal syndrome type 1 (CRS-1) is defined by a rapid cardiac dysfunction leading to acute kidney injury (AKI). Neutrophil gelatinaseassociated lipocalin (NGAL) is expressed on the surface of human neutrophils and epithelial cells, such as renal tubule cells, and its serum (sNGAL) and urinary have been used to predict AKI in different clinical settings. AIM To characterize CRS-1 in a cohort of patients with acute heart diseases, evaluating the potentiality of sNGAL as an early marker of CRS-1. METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort, multi-centre study. From January 2010 to December 2011, we recruited 202 adult patients admitted to the coronary intensive care unit (CICU) with a diagnosis of acute heart failure or acute coronary syndrome. We monitored the renal function to evaluate CRS-1 development and measured sNGAL levels within 24 h and after 72 h of CICU admission. RESULTS Overall, enrolled patients were hemodynamically stable with a mean arterial pressure ...