title: Systematic review: sodium bicarbonate treatment regimens for the prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intravenous sodium bicarbonate has been proposed to reduce the risk for contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effect of sodium bicarbonate on the risk for CIN.
  
  
  METHODS
  MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 1950 to December 2008; conference proceedings; and ClinicalTrials.gov, without language restriction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized, controlled trials of intravenous sodium bicarbonate that prespecified the outcome of CIN as a 25% increase in baseline serum creatinine level or an absolute increase of 44 micromol/L (0.5 mg/dL) after radiocontrast administration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using standardized protocols, 2 reviewers serially abstracted data for each study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  23 published and unpublished trials with information on 3563 patients and 396 CIN events were included. The pooled relative risk was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.45 to 0.86), with evidence of significant heterogeneity across studies (I(2) = 49.1%; P = 0.004). Some heterogeneity was due to the difference in the estimates between published and unpublished studies: relative risk, 0.43 (CI, 0.25 to 0.75) versus 0.78 (CI, 0.52 to 1.17), respectively. Meta-regression showed that small, poor-quality studies that assessed outcomes soon after radiocontrast administration were more likely to suggest benefit (P < 0.05 for all). No clear effects of treatment on the risk for dialysis, heart failure, and total mortality were identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Power to assess clinical end points was limited.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate treatment to prevent CIN in high-risk patients remains uncertain. Earlier reports probably overestimated the magnitude of any benefit, whereas larger, more recent trials have had neutral results. Large multicenter trials are required to clarify whether sodium bicarbonate has value for prevention of CIN before routine use can be recommended.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  None.
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. szoungas@george.org.au
authors.forename: Sophia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zoungas
authors.forename: Toshiharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huxley
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cass
authors.forename: Meg
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jardine
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Anushka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vasheghani-Farahani
authors.forename: Gelareh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sadigh
authors.forename: Vlado
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perkovic
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D009026:Mortality; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012306:Risk; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D017693:Sodium Bicarbonate; D000111:Acetylcysteine