Acute and Chronic Kidney Disease Following Congenital Heart Surgery: A Review

Background There is an increasing prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the population of adults currently living with congenital heart disease. A considerable proportion of children who undergo congenital heart surgery experience postoperative acute kidney injury. Whether there is an association between acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery in childhood and development of chronic kidney disease is unclear. Methods Three electronic databases were searched to capture relevant studies exploring the relationship between acute kidney injury after congenital heart surgery in children and progression to chronic kidney disease. Results A literature search identified a total of 212 research articles, 7 of which were selected for in-depth review. Conclusions There is a likely association between acute kidney injury in children undergoing congenital heart surgery and progression to chronic kidney disease. Research should be developed to mitigate factors contributing to postoperative acute kidney injury in neonates, infants, and children undergoing cardiac surgery. Better targeted follow-up protocols to monitor renal function in children undergoing cardiac surgery should be implemented. A universal definition for acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease is needed to improve detection and research in this field.