A cute kidney injury (AKI)

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (formerly known as acute renal failure) is a complex disorder with many underling conditions. It is seen in SIRS/sepsis and associated with a mortality of 60 % [ 1 ]. In 2007, a uniform defi nition was proposed which now replaces the more than 30 defi nitions that existed previously [ 2 ]. The diagnostic criteria for AKI were proposed based on acute alterations in serum creatinine or urine output. The Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) criteria (Table 13.1) are based on epidemiological studies. Those studies indicated that modest changes in serum creatinine were signifi cantly associated with mortality, hospital length of stay, and costs [ 3 ]. The old classifi cation of prerenal, renal, and postrenal AKI is becoming less important as more than 90 % of the AKI patients suffer from a combination of prerenal and renal AKI.