Could Omega 3 fatty acids reduce the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy in patients undergoing coronary angiography? A randomized controlled trial.

Contrast medium-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a leading cause of acquired acute kidney injury and has been associated with prolonged hospitalization and adverse clinical outcomes. This study aimed to determine if omega 3 fatty acids reduce the risk of CIN in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing coronary angiography. A total of 130 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography were randomly assigned to one of two groups as follows: 67 patients were assigned to the N-acetylcysteine (NAC; 1200 mg) and 63 patients were assigned to the omega 3 fatty acid (4 g). Both drugs were administered orally twice per day one day before and on the day of contrast administration. Of the 130 patients enrolled in this study, 10 (7.7%) experienced an increase of at least 0.5 mg/dL (44 μmol/L) in serum creatinine levels 48 h after administration of the contrast agent including 5 of the 67 patients in the NAC group (7.5%) and 5 of the 63 patients in the omega 3 fatty acids group (7.9%; P = 0.919). There were no significant differences in the need for renal replacement therapy (3.0% vs. 9.5%, P = 0.121) or in the mortality rate (3.0% vs. 6.3%, P = 0.361) between the two groups. Short-term prophylactic omega 3 fatty acid treatment with hydration does not reduce the risk of CIN in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing coronary angiography.