Urinary biomarkers and renal near-infrared spectroscopy predict intensive care unit outcomes after cardiac surgery in infants younger than 6 months of age

Within the first 24 hours after cardiopulmonary bypass, infants at increased risk for poor outcomes demonstrated elevated urinary NGAL, IL-18, and cystatin C and increased time with low NIRS saturations. These findings suggest that urinary biomarkers and renal NIRS may differentiate patients with good versus poor outcomes in the early postoperative period, which could assist clinicians when counseling families and inform the development of future clinical trials.