Acute Kidney Injury: New Definitions and Beyond

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) previously known as acute renal failure is a common clinical syndrome, with multiple etiologies and a complex array of clinical and biochemical changes. AKI affecting all age groups with increasing incidence in hospitalized patients and associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is until 2004, when the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) group proposed RIFLE (risk, injury, and failure, loss of function and end-stage renal failure) as consensus criteria for AKI definition and staging. Subsequent refinements and modifications had been proposed to increase specificity and sensitivity of diagnosis and prognosis, including pRIFLE (for children), AKIN and KDIGO. This review focuses on the recent advances in AKI definitions and classifications and highlights area of limitations and controversies.