Nicorandil to Prevent Contrast-Associated Kidney Injury in High-Risk PCI
Minqi Liao, Weiliang Zhou, Wenbin Wang, Yanhua Yang, Yongzhao Yao, Guoxiang Zhou, Zhihao Wu, Xiaoming Zhang, Bailiang Wei, Guangzhu Liang, Zheng Li, Zhanyang Wei, Jiongbin Lu, Zekui Wu, Yanna Wang, Ailing Lin, Yan Chen, Bin Zhang, Suxia GuoBACKGROUND:
Patients with renal dysfunction remain at high risk for contrast-associated acute kidney injury despite standard peri-procedural volume administration. This study aims to investigate whether peri-procedural oral nicorandil provides additional protection in this population, and to evaluate its potential dose-response relationship.
METHODS:
We conducted a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial enrolling patients with percutaneous coronary intervention with renal dysfunction. Participants were randomized into 3 groups, including a high-dose nicorandil group (30 mg/d, 10 mg 3× daily), a conventional-dose nicorandil group (15 mg/d, 5 mg 3× daily), and a saline hydration-only control group. The primary end point was the incidence of contrast-associated acute kidney injury. Secondary end points included changes in serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, CysC (cystatin C), and CRP (C-reactive protein).
RESULTS:
A total of 585 patients were recruited and randomized. The incidence of contrast-associated acute kidney injury was significantly lower in both nicorandil groups, with 19.8% (39/197) in the control group, compared with 10.9% (21/193) in the conventional-dose group and 8.7% (17/195) in the high-dose group (
CONCLUSIONS:
Adjunctive nicorandil, particularly at a dose of 10 mg 3× daily, significantly reduced the incidence of contrast-associated acute kidney injury in percutaneous coronary intervention patients with renal dysfunction. Oral nicorandil represents a readily available, effective, and dose-dependent prophylactic strategy to enhance renoprotection. Future studies are warranted to evaluate the long-term clinical benefits of this intervention.
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