Perioperative albumin versus other fluids to prevent cardiac surgery associated kidney injury: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials

Background Acute kidney injury is a common complication following cardiac surgery. Albumin infusions have been proposed as an intervention that reduce the risk of this complication, but existing data have shown heterogenous results. The recent completion of two randomised controlled trial of Albumin infusions in cardiac surgical patients provides the opportunity to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to improve the precision of the estimated treatment effect of Albumin infusions in cardiac surgery.