Fenoldopam to prevent acute kidney injury after major surgery—a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) after surgery is associated with increased mortality and healthcare costs. Fenoldopam is a selective dopamine-1 receptor agonist with renoprotective properties. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing fenoldopam with placebo to prevent AKI after major surgery. METHODS: We searched EMBASE, PubMed, meta-Register of randomised controlled trials and Cochrane CENTRAL databases for trials comparing fenoldopam with placebo in patients undergoing major surgery. The primary outcome was incidence of new AKI. Secondary outcomes were requirement for renal replacement therapy and hospital mortality. RESULTS: Eighty-three publications were screened; 23 studies underwent full data extraction and scoring. Six trials were suitable for inclusion in the data synthesis (total of 507 subjects undergoing cardiovascular surgery, partial nephrectomy, liver transplant surgery). Five studies were rated at high risk of bias. Data on post-operative incidence of AKI were available in five of the six trials (total of 471 patients) but definitions of AKI varied between studies. Of the 238 patients receiving fenoldopam, 45 (18.9 %) developed AKI compared to 62 (26.6 %) of the 233 patients who received placebo (p = 0.004, I(2) = 0 %; random-effects model odds ratio 0.46, 95 % confidence interval 0.27–0.79). In patients treated with fenoldopam, there was no difference in renal replacement therapy (n = 478; p = 0.11, I(2) = 47 %; fixed-effect model odds ratio 0.27, 95 % confidence interval 0.06–1.19) or hospital mortality (p = 0.60, I(2) = 0 %; fixed-effect model odds ratio 1.0, 95 % confidence interval 0.14–7.37). CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis, peri-operative treatment with fenoldopam was associated with a significant reduction in post-operative AKI but it had no impact on renal replacement therapy or hospital mortality. Equipoise remains for further large trials in this area since the studies were conducted in three types of surgery, the majority of studies were rated at high risk of bias and the criteria for AKI varied between trials. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-015-1166-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.