Association of Hydroxyethyl Starch Administration With Mortality and Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Patients Requiring Volume Resuscitation

Hydroxyethyl starch is commonly used for volume resuscitation yet has been associated with serious adverse events, including acute kidney injury and death. Clinical trials of hydroxyethyl starch are conflicting. Moreover, multiple trials from one investigator have been retracted because of scientific misconduct.

To evaluate the association of hydroxyethyl starch use with mortality and acute kidney injury. DATA SOURCES: Randomized controlled trials from MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Global Health, HealthStar, Scopus, Web of Science, the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (inception to October 2012), reference lists of relevant articles, and gray literature. STUDY SELECTION: Two reviewers independently identified randomized controlled trials comparing hydroxyethyl starch with other resuscitation fluids in critically ill patients receiving acute volume resuscitation. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted trial-level data including population characteristics, interventions, outcomes, and funding sources. Risk of bias was assessed using the risk of bias tool; the strength of evidence was adjudicated using the GRADE methodology.