Nitric Oxide During Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Neonates to Reduce Risk of Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury following cardiac surgery for congenital heart defects in children is a major cause of both short- and long-term morbidity and mortality, affecting up to 60% of high risk patients. Despite effort, to date, no successful therapeutic agent has gained widespread success in preventing this postoperative decline in renal function. Based on preliminary data available in the literature, we hypothesize that nitric oxide (gNO), administered during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), may reduce the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) via mechanisms of reduced inflammation and vasodilation. In this pilot study, 40 neonates undergoing cardiac surgery will be randomized to receive intraoperative administration of 20 ppm of nitric oxide to the oxygenator of the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit or standard CPB with no additional gas.