Gamma glutamyl transferase as a biomarker to predict contrast-induced nephropathy among patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing coronary interventions: a meta-analysis

The third most frequent reason for hospitalized acute kidney injury is contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary angiography (CAG) are two interventions that can result in CIN. In this study, we sought to determine how well gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) can predict CIN following CAG and PCI. METHOD: Two researchers searched through PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science in November 2022 to find articles that examined GGT levels in CIN patients following PCI or CAG. To rate the quality of the studies, the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist was employed. The Cochran test and I(2) statistics were utilized to assess study heterogeneity. To calculate the number of participants required to reject the null hypothesis, power analysis was used. We evaluated the epidemiologic strength of the results using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). The authors used Comprehensive Meta-analysis Version 3 to summarize the results. RESULTS: GGT was shown to be considerably greater in patients with CIN according to the meta-analysis’s findings (odds ratio: 3.21, 95% CI: 1.26–8.15, P=0.014); nevertheless, the findings were accompanied by significant heterogeneity (I(2)=91.93%, P<0.001). Although the relationship between CIN and GGT was power full regarding power analysis (1- β =1, number of effect sizes=4, the average number per group=336), very low quality of evidence was observed regarding GRADE criteria. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the GGT level may be a predictor of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients having cardiac catheterization; however, more research is required to prove the epidemiological validity.