Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as an early indicator of acute kidney injury following pediatric cardiac surgery

Early intervention can significantly improve patient outcomes in acute kidney injury (AKI). In children with underdeveloped kidneys, it takes longer than 24 hours for serum creatinine (sCr) to peak after AKI onset. Furthermore, even very subtle increases in sCr are associated with poor outcomes, making it more difficult to diagnose early AKI in pediatric cases.The urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels of 64 patients undergoing pediatric cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass from June 2018 to February 2019 were measured to evaluate NGAL as an accurate indicator of postoperative AKI.Sixteen patients (25%) developed AKI. The AKI group showed significantly higher Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) scores (p=0.028) and a significantly longer operative time (p=0.048), cardiopulmonary bypass time (p=0.048), and ventilator use time (p