NU03 - A Pilot Study Evaluating Renal Biomarker Changes Following Intravenous Iohexol Administration in a Small Population of Beagles

Abstract: Background: Despite being one of the most common causes of hospital-acquired acute kidney injury (AKI) in people, contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) remains poorly studied in veterinary medicine. Novel biomarkers have been shown to be more sensitive than creatinine for the detection of CIN in people. However, no data exists documenting changes in renal biomarkers in dogs receiving intravenous contrast media.

Hypothesis/Objectives: To characterize changes in concentrations of serum creatinine, cystatin C, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), and both serum and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in a small population of healthy sedated beagles receiving intravenous contrast.

Animals: 6 healthy purpose-bred beagles.

Methods: Randomized cross-over study. On day 1, dogs underwent either 15-minute sedation (0.2 mg/kg butorphanol and 5mcg/kg dexmedetomidine) or 15-minute sedation with intravenous iohexol administration (2.2ml/kg), with blood and urine samples collected at baseline, 4 hours, and 72 hours post-intervention for measurement of serum creatinine, BUN, NGAL, and cystatin C, as well as urinary NGAL. Treatment groups were reversed on Day 5. Analysis was performed using a generalized linear mixed-effects model with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Serum creatinine, SDMA, cystatin C, NGAL and urinary NGAL of dogs receiving iohexol (mean values: 0.62 mg/dl, 10.7 ug/dl, 121.97 pg/ml, 20946 pg/ml, 233.01 pg/ml, respectively) did not differ significantly from control dogs and did not increase significantly from baseline at 4 or 72 hours post-intervention.

Conclusions and clinical importance: Administration of a standard dose of iohexol to healthy sedated dogs resulted in neither AKI nor increases in novel renal biomarkers.