N-acetylcysteine review found no clear reduction in kidney injury after contrast
In separate analyses, neither oral nor intravenous N-acetylcysteine showed statistically significant differences in acute kidney injury, dialysis use or mortality; the abstract does not identify the control treatments.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review did not find evidence that N-acetylcysteine, given by mouth or intravenously, reduced acute kidney injury after contrast exposure. It also found no statistically significant differences in dialysis use or mortality. Results remained similar across oral-dose subgroups, but the abstract's missing control-group details and follow-up times limit how specifically the findings can be applied.
This abstract-based summary cannot identify the control treatments, patient groups, follow-up periods or study-quality assessments. Nonsignificant results leave uncertainty about possible effects, particularly where the reported confidence intervals were wide.
Separate routes, similar uncertainty
The authors analyzed oral and intravenous treatment separately. Neither route showed a statistically significant result for the clinical outcomes reported. Analyses dividing oral treatment into lower and higher doses did not change the reported findings.
What the outcomes mean
The review covered the occurrence of acute kidney injury, the need for haemodialysis and death. These are distinct clinical outcomes with different uncertainty ranges; an inconclusive result for any of them should not be read as proof of equal outcomes.
The original publication
N-acetylcysteine as Prophylaxis Against Contrast-Induced Nephropathy: A Meta-Analysis.
Rafique B, Arshad AR, Sabir S et al.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 42015439
- Record checked
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