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Anatomical Reconstructions of the Human Cardiac Venous System using Contrast-computed Tomography of Perfusion-fixed Specimens
06:02

Anatomical Reconstructions of the Human Cardiac Venous System using Contrast-computed Tomography of Perfusion-fixed Specimens

Published on: April 18, 2013

Female sex and risk of contrast nephropathy after percutaneous coronary intervention

Christian Mueller1, Gerd Buerkle, André P Perruchoud

  • 1Herz-Zentrum Bad Krozingen, Bad Krozingen, Germany. chmueller@uhbs.ch

The Canadian Journal of Cardiology
|April 22, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have a higher risk of contrast nephropathy (CN). This increased risk is mainly due to underlying health conditions, not female sex itself.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Nephrology
  • Medical Research

Background:

  • Women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) exhibit higher in-hospital mortality rates than men.
  • Contrast nephropathy (CN) is a significant complication of PCI, frequently leading to acute renal failure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if women have a higher incidence of CN post-PCI.
  • To determine if CN contributes to the observed mortality difference between sexes.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized trial of 1383 patients undergoing PCI analyzed sex-based differences in CN development.
  • Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) assessed baseline renal function.
  • CN defined as a serum creatinine increase of ≥44 µmol/L within 48 hours.

Main Results:

  • Women had a significantly higher incidence of CN (2.8% vs. 0.9% in men; OR 3.3, P=0.01).
  • Women were older with more hypertension and diabetes, and lower baseline GFR.
  • After adjusting for confounders, female sex was not an independent predictor of CN (OR 2.2, P=0.12).

Conclusions:

  • The elevated CN incidence in women post-PCI is primarily attributed to less favorable baseline characteristics.
  • Factors such as lower GFR and higher rates of hypertension in women explain the increased CN risk.
  • Female sex itself is not an independent risk factor for CN after PCI.
Abstract

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