Acute Kidney Injury in the Setting of Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report and Discussion Investigating Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors as the Culprit

Abstract

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has become the predominant treatment modality for severe degenerative joint disease. With recent advancements in surgical and anesthetic technique, patients with severe comorbidities are able to have this procedure; they would have been precluded from TKA only a matter of years ago. Although many studies have investigated risk factors and the causes of perioperative morbidity and mortality in the arthroplasty patient, few have linked risk factors with specific outcomes. We present a case report that illustrates the link between the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and the development of postoperative acute kidney injury. While this relationship has been extensively studied in cardiac and gastric bypass patient populations, it has never been examined in the setting of joint replacement.