Abstract

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common following abdominal aortic surgery. NGAL might be useful in the early diagnosis of AKI since it responds rapidly to ischaemic damage.

Methods: Twenty patients undergoing elective infrarenal aortic surgery. U-NGAL was measured before surgery and 24, 48 and 72 hours postoperatively.

Results: No significant rise in U-NGAL was seen in patients without AKI at any time. All patients who developed dialysisdependent AKI had a significant increase in U-NGAL.

Conclusion: U-NGAL did not increase solely in response to the surgical trauma. U-NGAL may be a useful biomarker for AKI following abdominal aortic surgery.

Keywords: Acute kidney injury, abdominal aortic surgery, intensive care.