Pre-operative growth differentiation factor 15 as a novel biomarker of acute kidney injury after cardiac bypass surgery

{Background: Pre-operative GDF-15 plasma levels significantly improve the prognostic value of the EuroSCORE for mortality after cardiac surgery. However, despite the strong correlation between GDF-15 and renal function, no data are available regarding the potential interest of pre-operative GDF-15 levels to improve the prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Methods: All patients operated on by 2 surgeons for CABG surgery at our university hospital from September 2011 to March 2013 were screened for participation in this prospective, observational study. Exclusion criteria: age <18 years or >80 years, previous atrial fibrillation/flutter, previous severe renal failure, previous cardiac surgery, emergency surgery. AKI was defined according to KDIGO criteria. GDF-15 levels in plasma were measured before induction and 12 h after surgery. Results: 134 patients were included in this study. 42 (31%) developed post-operative AKI. AKI patients had a significantly higher pre-operative log-GDF-15 level (OR = 3.64; 95% CI = 1.41-9.40