Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the predictive role of the C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index, which integrates systemic inflammation, nutritional status, and immune response for contrast-associated acute kidney injury in patients undergoing elective coronary angiography. Material and Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included 945 patients who underwent elective coronary angiography for stable angina pectoris between 2020 and 2024. Patients with an ejection fraction 50%, those who required intra-aortic balloon pump support were excluded. Contrast-associated acute kidney injury was defined as an increase in serum creatinine ≥25% or ≥0.5 mg/dL within 72 hours after contrast exposure. Clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters, and the CALLY index were analyzed. Results: Among 945 patients, 332 (35.1%) were female, median age was 58 years. Contrast-associated acute kidney injury developed in 150 patients (15.9%). In the multivariate CALLY-based model, advanced age, diabetes, lower albumin, lower bicarbonate, higher mean corpuscular volume, higher contrast volume and lower CALLY index were independent predictors, while C-reactive protein and uric acid lost significance. Conclusion: The CALLY index independently predicted contrast-associated acute kidney injury but showed modest diagnostic strength. It may serve as a complementary immunonutritional marker rather than a standalone tool. Bicarbonate exhibited the highest diagnostic accuracy, supporting the role of metabolic acidosis in contrast-associated acute kidney injury.
Koç et al. (Fri,) studied this question.