Maternal Risk Factors Do Not Correlate With AKI in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)

Purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in children who undergo cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and is correlated with longer hospital courses and worse outcomes. Several risk factors exist which increase the risk of AKI in pediatric populations, including premature birth, congenital heart disease (CHD), and prolonged CPB time. Maternal risk factors can impair nephrogenesis in utero, thereby increasing the likelihood for developing AKI. However, it is yet to be shown if maternal risk factors lead to an increased incidence in AKI in pediatric patients with CHD who undergo CPB. We examine the incidence of four maternal risk factors—pre-eclampsia, maternal hypertension, gestational diabetes mellitus, and maternal smoking—in 252 pediatric CHD patients who underwent CPB surgery. The purpose of this project was to examine the incidence and predictors of AKI in pediatric patients who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery at our institution. We hypothesize an association between maternal risk factors and AKI incidence in pediatric patients with CHD who underwent CPB surgery. Methods: We performed a retrospective study on 252 patients who underwent CPB for repair of a CHD between March1, 2020, and March 1, 2022. Patients were between ages 0-12 months at time of surgery and received care in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). P-value of 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance. NGAL levels and Cystatin C levels were also obtained. Results: Forty-four patients (17.5%) developed AKI by KDIGO criteria, with only 2.4% of those meeting stage 2 or 3 AKI. Fifty-one (24%) patients demonstrated elevated urine NGAL levels after bypass (>125). Eighteen patients (8.4%) had elevated levels of Cystatin C. Pre-eclampsia was not protective in regards to AKI in our population. Maternal smoking, maternal gestational diabetes and maternal hypertension did not correlate with development of AKI in children with CHD undergoing CPB. Conclusion: We found no association between maternal risk factors and AKI incidence in CHD patients undergoing CPB surgery in this cohort. Elevated NGAL levels and Cystatin C levels following CPB did not individually correlate with increased odds of developing AKI.