Use of Bicarbonate to Reduce the Incidence of Acute Renal Failure After Cardiac Surgery

The purpose of this study is to determine if the incidence of acute renal failure (ARF) in high risk patients who undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is reduced by treating patients in the perioperative period with intravenous (IV) sodium bicarbonate. Patients will be randomized in a 50:50 allocation to receive either IV sodium bicarbonate or IV normal saline. The volume of fluid given in each arm of the study is equal. All other interventions in those patients will be according to standard cardiothoracic anesthesia protocol at our institution.