Statins for the Prevention of Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common medical problem, especially in patients undergoing cardiovascular procedures. The risk of kidney damage has multiple determinants and is often related to or exacerbated by intravenous or intra-arterial iodinated contrast. Contrast-induced AKI (CI-AKI) has been associated with an increased risk of subsequent myocardial infarction, stroke, the development of heart failure, rehospitalization, progression of chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, and death. Statins have been studied extensively in the setting of chronic kidney disease and they have been shown to reduce albuminuria, but they have had no effect on the progressive reduction of glomerular filtration or the need for renal replacement therapy. Several meta-analyses have shown a protective effect of short-term statin administration on CI-AKI and led to two large randomized controlled trials evaluating the role of rosuvastatin in the prevention of CI-AKI in high-risk patients with acute coronary syndrome and diabetes mellitus. Both trials showed a benefit of rosuvastatin prior to contrast administration in a statin-naive patient population. In aggregate, these studies support the short-term use of statins specifically for the prevention of CI-AKI in patients undergoing coronary angiography with or without percutaneous coronary intervention.