Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication of hospitalized patients and is associated with poor outcomes. Hospitalized patients with AKI may need prolonged dialysis, necessitating post-hospitalization dialysis (PHD-AKI). Scarce information is available to stratify the risks and predict outcomes. This study aims to assess outcomes and identify predictors of outcomes of PHD-AKI within 90 days. Methods: All adult AKI patients initiating hemodialysis (HD) at the University of Virginia (UVA) between June 1, 2012, and September 30, 2013 were retrospectively studied. PHD-AKI patients continued treatment at a specifically designated unit. They were followed until an outcome (end-stage renal disease [ESRD], death or dialysis-independence) was achieved. Results: During the study period, 108 patients required outpatient dialysis out of 365 AKI patients initiating in-patient HD at UVA. An additional 11 patients who developed dialysis-requiring AKI at referring hospitals but underwent HD at our unit were included for a total of 119 patients studied. ESRD was declared in 48.7%, while 9.2% expired and 42.0% achieved dialysis independence. Congestive heart failure, baseline renal function and a prior episode of AKI within the preceding 6 months were statistically significant predictors of renal outcomes. Conclusion: Dialysis independence of PHD-AKI patients is not uncommon. Certain clinical parameters may help predict renal outcome. Identifying predictors of renal recovery will guide further interventions, especially with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services soon to allow AKI patients to be dialyzed at outpatient ESRD facilities. Ongoing biomarkers research may add further knowledge for optimum diagnosis and prognosis of AKI.

Preoperative renal function is highly associated with the cost of CABG. Assessment of renal function may be used to preoperatively predict cost and resource utilization. Optimizing renal function preoperatively has the potential to improve patient quality and costs by approximately 6% ($1,250) for every 10 mL/min improvement in creatinine clearance.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Relationships between selected socioeconomic characteristics of counties and infant mortality rates are examined. There are two research objectives: to determine the extent to which low family income, low education, sound housing, and the percentage of blacks "directly" and "jointly" relate to neonatal and postneonatal mortality rates; and to determine the degree to which a zero-order correlation between a given socioeconomic measure and general infant mortality is transmitted by neonatal and postneonatal mortality rates, respectively. Data corresponding to 2237 counties in the United States are analyzed by path analysis. Results show that the percentage of blacks and low education are two variables which have appreciable direct effects on both components of infant mortality. These two factors are also responsible in large measure for gross associations between low family income, sound housing, and rates of infant loss. On the basis of this study it is estimated that approximately two-thirds of the zero-order correlation between a given county measure of socioeconomic status and infant mortality occurs through the postneonatal component. Implications of these findings are discussed.