Chloride is an important anion in the extracellular fluid of humans. It accounts for approximately one-third of the tonicity and two-thirds of negatively charged ions in the plasma [18]. It plays a key role in the maintenance of acid-base balance and fluid homeostasis. The present study focused on hyperchloremia in patients undergoing CABG because it has been associated with worse outcomes in other medical conditions. Patients with hyperchloremia had higher risks of AKI and ESRD than those with normochloremia. This relationship was not affected by the death risk of patients. These results have clinical implications because serum chloride has merit in terms of easy and early measurement during the perioperative period.
Dyschloremia is identified in 25–45% of critically ill patients [7, 19]. Temporary hyperchloremia occurs more frequently than hypochloremia, specifically in up to 75% of critically ill patients during the first 24 hours of hospital stay [20]. Hyperchloremia is primarily attributable to the loss of bicarbonates via gastrointestinal and renal paths. Additionally, it can be caused by dilution of bicarbonates through loading of fluids with a low bicarbonate concentration and excess infusion of chloride-rich fluids [21].
The physiological function of chloride includes regulation of extracellular and intracellular volume and acid-base homeostasis [21]. However, the pathophysiological role of abnormal chlorides is insufficiently understood because serum chloride levels have been less focused on in clinical or mechanistic studies. One study with 1,940 septic patients found that hyperchloremia or its worsening trend was associated with high mortality [7]. Another study with 1,221 critically ill patients revealed that hyperchloremia was prevalent during AKI compared to non-AKI [5]. This association was also identified in 1,267 patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage, wherein an increase in serum chloride, but not sodium, was associated with AKI [9]. Although electrolyte imbalance is frequent in patients undergoing CABG, no studies have confirmed the relationship between hyperchloremia and the risk of AKI and ESRD before the present study. This issue is important because both AKI and ESRD worsen the overall outcome and quality of life after CABG [12, 22, 23].
The association between hyperchloremia and kidney injury may be explained by the following hypotheses. Chlorides in the macular densa activate tubuloglomerular feedback and adjust renal efferent arterioles, but persistent hyperchloremia dysregulates tubuloglomerular feedback and vasoconstriction all of which reduce cortical perfusion [24]. Hyperchloremia results in chronic metabolic acidosis and then stimulates the production of angiotensin II and aldosterone to increase acid excretion, but chronic upregulation of these factors may cause tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis [25]. Chloride may affect the function of the kidney and other organs because electrolytes play important roles in cellular metabolism and in the regulation of cellular membrane potentials, especially those of muscle and nerve cells in the heart.
The strengths of our study are the large sample size and the long-term follow-up period, which enabled us to analyze the risk of ESRD. Nevertheless, the study has some limitations to be discussed. The study design was retrospective and observational in nature, which limited the understanding of causality between associations, although the aim of the study was to confirm the associations but not the causality. Follow-up chloride levels may be more important than the baseline levels, but the study did not collect them. Unidentified factors could intervene in the associations.