Acute kidney injury survivors should have long-term follow-up

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequently occurring complication in ICU patients and is associated with decreased short- and long-term survival. Gammelager and colleagues showed that AKI patients are at increased risk for developing heart failure and myocardial infarction at long-term follow-up. Their study provides strong epidemiological data on cardiorenal syndrome type 3, and their findings help explain the worse long-term survival of AKI patients. Finally, it also highlights the need for specific follow-up programs for ICU survivors.