Acute renal failure in a patient treated by continuous povidone-iodine mediastinal irrigation

Polyvinylpyrrolidone-iodine (PI) is a widely used antiseptic agent, safe and effective, in the treatment and prophylaxis of wound sepsis. By continuous irrigation it is frequently used to treat suppurative mediastinitis after median sternotomy. We describe a 63 year old woman with a suppurative mediastinitis, treated with continuous PI irrigation who developed an acute oliguric renal failure. The withdrawal of PI was followed by a complete improvement of renal function. Herein we present our case and a review of the literature about the systemic toxicity of PI.