Prevalence and risk factors of myocardial and acute kidney injury following radical nephrectomy with vena cava thrombectomy: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Radical nephrectomy with thrombectomy is the mainstay treatment for patients with renal cell carcinoma with vena cava thrombus. But the procedure is full of challenge, with high incidence of major complications and mortality. Herein, we investigated the incidence and predictors of myocardial injury and acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients following radical nephrectomy with inferior vena cava thrombectomy. METHODS: Patients who underwent nephrectomy with thrombectomy between January 2012 and June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Myocardial injury was diagnosed when peak cardiac troponin I was higher than 0.03 ng/ml. AKI was diagnosed according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of myocardial injury or AKI after surgery. RESULTS: A total of 143 patients were included in the final analysis. Myocardial injury and AKI occurred in 37.8 and 42.7% of patients after this surgery, respectively. Male sex (odds ratio [OR] 0.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10–0.71; P = 0.008) was associated with a lower risk, whereas high level Mayo classification (compared with Mayo level I + II, Mayo level III + IV: OR 4.21, 95% CI 1.42–12.4; P = 0.009), acute normovolemic hemodilution before surgery (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.10–6.41; P = 0.029), long duration of intraoperative tachycardia (per 20 min: OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.10–2.16; P = 0.036), and long duration of surgery (per 1 h, OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.03–2.16, P = 0.009) were associated with a higher risk of myocardial injury. High body mass index (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.06–1.33; P = 0.004) and long duration of intraoperative hypotension (per 20 min: OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.04–1.64; P = 0.024) were associated with a higher risk, whereas selective renal artery embolism before surgery (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.07–0.59, P = 0.004) was associated with a lower risk of AKI. CONCLUSION: Myocardial injury and AKI were common in patients recovering from radical nephrectomy with inferior vena cava thrombectomy. Whether interventions targeting the above modifiable factors can improve outcomes require further studies. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12871-021-01462-y.