Comparison of N-acetylcysteine, ascorbic acid, and normal saline effect in prevention of contrast-induced nephropathy

BACKGROUND: Considering the crucial role of appropriate preventative strategies in reducing the rate of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) occurrence and its related morbidity and mortality, the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), ascorbic acid (AA), and normal saline (NS) was investigated in the patient's undergone coronary angiography. METHODS: In this clinical trial, 120 patients scheduled for elective coronary angiography with serum creatinine (Cr) level > 1.5 mg/dl or glomerular filtration rate (GFR) >= 60 selected by convenience method. Selected patients were allocated in three treatment groups randomly to receive oral NAC (600 mg/twice daily) plus NS (100 ml/hour) (Group A), oral AA (250 mg/twice daily) plus NS (100 ml/hour) (Group B) and NS (100 ml/hour) (Group C), respectively. The occurrence of CIN was evaluated based on serum Cr and GFR in three studied groups, before and after angiography procedure. The analysis of variance and paired t-test were used for data analysis by SPSS. RESULTS: The serum Cr increased and GFR decreased significantly during the intervention in three groups (P < 0.010). However, the amounts of these changes were equal between groups (P > 0.050). CONCLUSION: The study showed that nor the addition of NAC neither the addition of AA to sodium chloride infusion has more beneficial effect than hydration with sodium chloride, in the prevention of CIN.