Renal Near-Infrared Spectroscopy for Assessment of Renal Oxygenation in Adults Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Method Validation Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the correlation between invasively measured renal venous oxygen saturation (SrvO₂) and tissue oxygenation (rSO₂) measured with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Single cardiac surgery center at a university hospital.

Participants: Thirteen adult patients with skin- to- kidney distance ≤4 cm undergoing open cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Interventions: All patients received renal vein catheters for invasive measurement of SrvO₂, and NIRS electrodes for assessment of renal rSO₂ were placed over the kidney using ultrasound guidance. Measurements were made before CPB, during CPB at 3 different flow rates (2.4, 2.7, and 3.0 L/min/m²), and after CPB.

Measurements and main results: Repeated- measures correlation analyses and Bland-Altman plots were used to study the correlation and agreement between rSO₂ and SrvO₂. For all measurement points, renal rSO₂ correlated with SrvO₂ (r_rm = 0.61, p < 0.001), and the mean difference (bias) between rSO₂ and SrvO₂ was -2.71 ± 7.22 (p = 0.002), with an error of 17.6%. When measurements during CPB and before and after CPB were studied separately, rSO₂ and SrvO₂ were correlated (r_rm = 0.51, p < 0.007 and r_rm = 0.73, p < 0.001, respectively). During CPB, renal rSO₂ predicted SrvO₂ with a bias of -3.41 ± 7.76 (p = 0.009) and an error of 18.8%. Before and after CPB, the mean difference was -1.93 ± 6.60 (p = 0.092), with an error of 16.2%.

Conclusions: Renal rSO₂ is correlated to and predicts SrvO₂ with a small bias and acceptable agreement. Further studies are needed before renal NIRS can be used as a surrogate marker of renal oxygenation in clinical practice.

Keywords: cardiac surgery; near-infrared spectroscopy; renal circulation; renal hypoxia.