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Upon an arrival to the emergency department for abdominal pain of unknown cause, most non-pregnant adult patients receive a CT scan with IV contrast to diagnose the source of the pain. However, IV contrast can be a risk in patients with severe kidney disease or at risk for an allergic reaction from the dye. When scans are performed without IV contrast, though, they are usually less accurate, which can lead to misdiagnosis. And recent research from the University of Michigan now confirms this: a study found choosing to withhold IV contrast from certain types of abdominal CT scans can decrease...

Inorganic nitrate reduces contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN), improves renal outcomes and reduces cardiac events compared to placebo in patients at risk of renal injury undergoing coronary angiography for acute coronary syndrome, according to research. CIN, also termed contrast associated-acute kidney injury, refers to a deterioration in renal function after contrast exposure and is a serious complication of coronary angiography. Research has suggested that nitric oxide is deficient in CIN; therefore, strategies to replace nitric oxide might be of benefit. The NITRATE-CIN trial examined the efficacy of inorganic nitrate for the prevention of CIN in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome...

A five-day course of once-daily inorganic nitrate reduces the risk of a serious complication following a coronary angiogram, in which the dye used causes damage to the kidneys. The clinical trial also showed that the five-day course improves renal outcomes at three months and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at one year compared to placebo. Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN), also known as contrast associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI), is an uncommon but serious complication following coronary angiography. A special dye, which is visible on X-rays, is injected into the body and when the dye reaches the coronary arteries, an X-ray is...