Desmopressin Acetate Before Percutaneous Ultrasound-Guided Kidney Biopsy in Patients with Renal Failure – Is it Really Beneficial?

INTRODUCTION: The most common complication of percutaneous renal biopsy is bleeding, which can be seen in up to one-third of cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prebiopsy administration of intranasal desmopressin acetate in reducing the incidence of biopsy-related bleeding complications in patients with significant renal dysfunction who underwent renal biopsy. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study of percutaneous native renal biopsies performed at our center from July 2014 to June 2018. Bleeding complication rates of patients with renal failure (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] <30 mL/minute/1.73 m(2)) who received desmopressin and those who did not receive desmopressin were compared. RESULTS: Desmopressin administration before renal biopsy in patients with eGFR <30 mL/minute/1.73 m(2) was associated with a significant reduction of bleeding complications (major and minor together; P = 0.025) and no significant reduction in major complications (P = 0.616) or intervention rates (P = 0.251) when compared with a group that did not receive desmopressin. CONCLUSIONS: While prebiopsy intranasal desmopressin use was associated with a significant reduction of overall bleeding complications including major and minor complications, there was no reduction in the rate of other major complications and interventions.