Indocyanine green clearance as an outcome prediction tool in cardiac surgery: a prospective study

To evaluate the role of plasma disappearance rate of indocyanine green (PDR-ICG) as an outcome prediction tool in cardiac surgery.

One hundred ninety patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery or combined procedures were enrolled. PDR-ICG measurements along with standard lab values were performed preoperative and on postoperative days 1, 2, and on discharge from the intensive care unit. Adverse outcomes were defined as prolonged length of stay in the intensive care unit and/or mortality. Two groups were defined according to length of stay in the intensive care unit (≤ 3 days vs >3 days).

PDR-ICG values differed significantly for all time points between the groups. In a multivariate model, in patients over 65 years with a EuroSCORE below 8.5, a preoperative PDR-ICG value below 12.85%/min was the strongest independent predictor for prolonged intensive care unit stay (>3 days). A preoperative PDR-ICG value below 8.2%/min was the strongest independent predictor for mortality in a multivariate analysis including age, cardiac function, and EuroSCORE.

In addition to the established scores, PDR-ICG may provide valuable information for the assessment of perioperative morbidity and mortality in cardiac surgery. Pre- and early postoperative measurements may help to identify patients at risk for developing perioperative complications.