To use or not to use hydroxyethyl starch in intraoperative care: are we ready to answer the 'Gretchen question'?

lntraoperative administration of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 is not associated with acute kidney injury in elective non-cardiac surgery: A sequential and propensity-matched analysis

BACKGROUND

Intraoperative use of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) may increase the risk of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI). Data from large populations are lacking. We aimed to assess whether intraoperative administration of 6% HES 130/0.4 is associated with AKI in non-cardiac surgery.

METHODS

This retrospective study used the electronic records concerning elective abdominal, urologic, thoracic and peripheral vascular surgeries from 2010 to 2015. HES and non-HES patients were compared using a propensity score matching. Postoperative AKI, defined by stage 3 of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) score, was the primary outcome. Because the use of HES markedly decreased in 2013, additional analyses, restricted to the 2010-2012 period, were also performed.

RESULTS

In total, 23,045, and 11,691 patients were included in the whole, and restricted periods, respectively. The reduction in HES use was not accompanied by any change in the incidence of AKI. Unadjusted association between HES and KDIGO 3 AKI was significant (OR [95% CI] of 2.13 [1.67, 2.71]). For the whole period, 6460 patients were matched. Odd ratios for KDIGO 3 and all-stage AKI when using HES (10.3±4.7mL.kg^-1) were 1.20 (95% CI [0.74, 1.95]), and 1.21 (95% CI [0.95, 1.54]), respectively. There was no association with the initiation of renal replacement therapy or in-hospital mortality either. Similar results were found for the restricted period.

CONCLUSION

The intraoperative use of moderate doses of 6% HES 130/0.4 was not associated with increased risk of AKI. No conclusion can be drawn for higher doses of HES.

Hemodynamic goal-directed therapy and postoperative kidney injury: an updated meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis

Background

Perioperative goal-directed therapy (GDT) reduces the risk of renal injury. However, several questions remain unanswered, such as target, kind of patients and surgery, and role of fluids and inotropes. We therefore update a previous analysis, including all studies published in the meanwhile, to clarify the clinical impact of this strategy on acute kidney injury.

Main body

Randomized controlled trials enrolling adult patients undergoing major surgery were considered. GDT was defined as perioperative monitoring and manipulation of hemodynamic parameters to reach normal or supranormal values by fluids alone or with inotropes. Trials comparing the effects of GDT and standard hemodynamic therapy were considered. Primary outcome was acute kidney injury, whichever definition was used. Meta-analytic techniques (analysis software RevMan, version 5.3) were used to combine studies, using random-effect odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Trial sequential analyses were performed including all trials and considering only low risk of bias trials. Sixty-five trials with an overall sample of 9308 patients were included. OR for the development of renal injury was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.62–0.87; p = 0.0003), with no statistical heterogeneity. Trial sequential analyses and sensitivity analysis including studies with low risk of bias confirmed the main results. A significant decrease in renal injury rate was observed in studies that adopted cardiac output and oxygen delivery as hemodynamic target and that used both fluids and inotropes. The postoperative kidney injury rate was significantly lower in trials enrolling “high-risk” patients and major abdominal and orthopedic surgery.

Short conclusion

The present meta-analysis suggests that targeting GDT to perioperative systemic oxygen delivery, by means of fluids and inotropes, can be the best way to improve renal perfusion and oxygenation in high-risk patients undergoing major abdominal and orthopedic surgery.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13054-019-2516-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Hydroxyethyl starches in equine medicine

OBJECTIVE

To review and discuss the use of hydroxyethyl starches (HES) in equine veterinary medicine, and to provide recommendations for its use.

DATA SOURCES

Veterinary and human peer-reviewed medical literature including scientific reviews, meta-analyses, and original research articles.

HUMAN DATA SYNTHESIS

Increasing evidences on adverse effects after HES use and decreasing support for beneficial effects with regards to volume expansion and colloid osmotic pressure (COP) support in critically ill subjects have led to a recent guideline to limit the use of HES in critically ill people.

EQUINE VETERINARY DATA SYNTHESIS

The rationale for HES use in horses is mainly extrapolated from human medicine, and very limited studies in horses are available. There is limited evidence suggesting a superiority of volume expansion effects of HES over crystalloids. The potential for HES to increase and maintain COP is well supported, but there is no evidence that maintaining or increasing plasma COP influences outcome, tissue edema formation, or rates of complications that potentially relate to edema formation. HES induce dose-dependent changes in coagulopathic parameters, but there is no evidence that HES causes clinical coagulopathies. Insufficient data are available on other adverse effects such as acute kidney injury, or mortality in horses. The use of HES should be restricted in septic patients, but may still have some use in cases of hemorrhagic shock resuscitation, hypoalbuminemia, or perioperative fluid replacement.

CONCLUSION

The evidence supporting the use of HES in horses is weak due to lack of species-specific investigations. Acknowledging species differences, the use of HES should be judicious, yet with some recognition of its benefits in particular cases. More research is necessary to improve knowledge on use of HES in horses and to establish better future recommendations.