Clinically relevant contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a severe complication of
interventional contrast-based procedures of all kinds. It is linked to high morbidity, mortality, social and
fi nancial losses. Acute renal damage after coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention
may occur in 1-2% cases in general population or in more than 50% of cases with high risk of developing
CI-AKI. It is very important to identify existing compromised renal function in a high-risk patient, as it is
a major and frequent CI-AKI predisposing factor. There are novel biomarkers with rapid or nearly instant
response to acute subclinical contrast-induced renal damage, which are highly valuable in CI-AKI diagnosis
and for this reason desire deeper clinical research. Despite a number of controversies, prophylactic and
therapeutic measures are practically the same in a vast majority of guidelines. Intravenous 0.9% NaCl
solution remains one and only proved measure in CI-AKI prophylaxis and therapy, while the use of other
pharmacological approaches still needs more relevant prospective clinical research. The aim of this paper
was review contemporary, CI-AKI-devoted, evidence-based data.