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The Kidney Foundation of Canada extends a warm congratulations to Dr. Amit Garg, a nephrologist at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), and his team for publishing the results of their clinical trial study in Kidney International, the highest impact journal for kidney research.

The study, partially funded by The Kidney Foundation of Canada, aimed to test a new strategy to keep blood pressure from falling too low during a surgical procedure, in turn protecting the kidneys from potential damage.

While surgery can be a life-saving procedure, it does have risks. One key risk is changes in blood pressure which can be tricky to manage during surgery. If blood pressure becomes too high or too low, it can damage the kidneys leading to acute kidney injury, long term kidney dysfunction, and even kidney failure. Therefore, having evidence-based ways to help manage blood pressure is crucial to ensure the kidneys are protected during surgery.

"As a nephrologist, I understand how important it is to prevent organ injury, especially kidney injury. The uncertainty around the best way to manage blood pressure during operation does not meet our standards of providing the best health care to patients, that’s why this study is important” said Dr. Garg.

The study, a large international randomized clinical trial, tested two approaches to managing blood pressure during surgery. One approach focused on avoiding low blood pressure, while the other avoiding high blood pressure. The study found no significant difference in the risk of kidney injury between the two approaches. From a kidney health perspective, this suggests it is safe to use either strategy, but which is used should be dependent on the patient and their individual health situation.

The Kidney Foundation of Canada is proud to support this project and others that aim to provide new information to both patients and clinicians to minimize the risk of kidney damage.

If you are interested in reading more about this study, check out the publication here: A sub-study of the POISE-3 randomized trial examined effects of a perioperative hypotension-avoidance strategy versus a hypertension-avoidance strategy on the risk of acute kidney injury - Kidney International (www.kidney-international.org)