Should hydroxyethyl starch be banned?

Perioperative renal protection

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The present article reviews the recent literature on the main aspects of perioperative acute kidney injury (AKI).

RECENT FINDINGS

AKI occurs in 1 in every 10 surgical patients, with cardiac, orthopedic, and major abdominal surgeries being the procedures associated with the highest risk. Overall, complex operations, bleeding, and hemodynamic instability are the most consistent procedure-related risk factors for AKI. AKI increases hospital stay, mortality, and chronic kidney disease, gradually with severity. Furthermore, delayed renal recovery negatively impacts on patients' outcomes. Cell cycle arrest biomarkers seem promising to identify high-risk patients who may benefit from the bundles recommended by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes guidelines. Hemodynamic management using protocol-based administration of fluids and vasopressors helps reducing AKI. Recent studies have highlighted the benefit of personalizing the blood pressure target according to the patient's resting reference, and avoiding both hypovolemia and fluid overload. Preliminary research has reported encouraging renoprotective effects of angiotensin II and nitric oxide, which need to be confirmed. Moreover, urinary oxygenation monitoring appears feasible and a fair predictor of postoperative AKI.

SUMMARY

AKI remains a frequent and severe postoperative complication. A personalizedmulticomponent approach might help reducing the risk of AKI and improving patients' outcomes.

Does the choice of intraoperative fluid modify abdominal aneurysm repair outcomes?: A cohort analysis

Intraoperatively administered hydroxyethyl starch could be a risk indicator for postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in vascular surgical patients.In a single-center retrospective cohort analysis, we assessed the impact of hydroxyethyl starch and other risk indicators on AKI and mortality in 1095 patients undergoing elective open abdominal aneurysm repair (AAA-OR) or endovascular aortic repair (EVAR). We established logistic regression models to determine the effect of various risk indicators, including hydroxyethyl starch, on AKI, as well as Cox proportional hazard models to assess the effect on mortality.The use of intravenous hydroxyethyl starch was not associated with an increased risk of AKI or mortality. Patients undergoing EVAR were less likely to develop AKI (4% vs 18%). Multivariate risk indicators associated for AKI included suprarenal or pararenal aortic cross-clamp [odds ratio (OR), 4.44; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 2.538-7.784; P < .001] and procedure length (OR, 1.005; 95% CI, 1.003-1.007; P < .001), and favored EVAR (OR, 0.351; 95% CI, 0.118-0.654; P < .01). Main multivariate risk indicators associated with mortality included patients needing an urgent procedure [hazard ratio (HR), 2.294; 95% CI, 1.541-3.413; P < .001], those with suprarenal or pararenal aortic cross-clamp (HR, 1.756; 95% CI, 1.247-2.472; P < .01), and patients undergoing EVAR (HR, 1.654; 95% CI, 1.292-2.118; P < .001).We found neither a benefit nor a negative effect of hydroxyethyl starch on the risk of AKI or mortality. Instead, other variables and comorbidities were found to be relevant for the development of postoperative AKI and survival. Nevertheless, clinicians should be aware of the high risk of postoperative AKI, particularly among those undergoing AAA-OR procedures.

Starch Wars-New Episodes of the Saga. Changes in Regulations on Hydroxyethyl Starch in the European Union

After a safety review of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solutions in 2013, restrictions on the use of HES were introduced in the European Union (EU) to reduce the risk of kidney injury and death in certain patient populations. Similar restrictions were introduced by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States and other countries. In October 2017, a second safety review of HES solutions was triggered by the European pharmacovigilance authorities based on a request by the Swedish Medical Products Agency to completely suspend HES. After several meetings and repeated evaluations, the recommendation to ban HES was ultimately not endorsed by the responsible committee; however, there was a vote for more restricted access to the drug and rigorous monitoring of policy adherence. This review delineates developments in the European pharmacovigilance risk assessment of HES solutions between 2013 and 2018. In addition, the divergent experts' opinions and the controversy surrounding this official assessment are described. As the new decisions might influence the availability of HES products for veterinary patients, potential alternatives to HES solutions, such as albumin solutions and gelatin, are briefly discussed.