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Minerva Anestesiologica 2006 March;72(3):133-43

Copyright © 2006 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Acute kidney dysfunction and the critically ill

Hoste E. A. J. ¹, Kellum J. A. ²

¹ Intensive Care Unit Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium 2 The CRISMA Laboratory (Clinical Research Investigation and Systems Modeling of Acute illness) Department of Critical Care Medicine University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA

Given the devastating effect that acute kidney dysfunction (AKD) has on the clinical course and outcome of critically ill patients, it is incumbent on every intensive care provider to understand the causes and effects of AKD. AKD is common and costly and even mild forms warrant attention. Promising new therapies are being explored. But even after they arrive, attention to first principles of avoiding further injury from volume depletion, hypotension and nephrotoxins will be of the primary concern of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team. For established AKD, more and possibly sooner renal replacement therapy is likely to be better than less and later.