IntroductionRecently, the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) proposed a new definition and classification of acute kidney injury (AKI) on the basis of the RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of kidney function, and End-stage renal failure) and AKIN (Acute Kidney Injury Network) criteria, but comparisons of the three criteria in critically ill patients are rare.MethodsWe prospectively analyzed a clinical database of 3,107 adult patients who were consecutively admitted to one of 30 intensive care units of 28 tertiary hospitals in Beijing from 1 March to 31 August 2012. AKI was defined by the RIFLE, AKIN, and KDIGO criteria. Receiver operating curves were used to compare the predictive ability for mortality, and logistic regression analysis was used for the calculation of odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.ResultsThe rates of incidence of AKI using the RIFLE, AKIN, and KDIGO criteria were 46.9%, 38.4%, and 51%, respectively. KDIGO identified more patients than did RIFLE (51% versus 46.9%, P = 0.001) and AKIN (51% versus 38.4%, P <0.001). Compared with patients without AKI, in-hospital mortality was significantly higher for those diagnosed as AKI by using the RIFLE (27.8% versus 7%, P <0.001), AKIN (32.2% versus 7.1%, P <0.001), and KDIGO (27.4% versus 5.6%, P <0.001) criteria, respectively. There was no difference in AKI-related mortality between RIFLE and KDIGO (27.8% versus 27.4%, P = 0.815), but there was significant difference between AKIN and KDIGO (32.2% versus 27.4%, P = 0.006). The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curve for in-hospital mortality were 0.738 (P <0.001) for RIFLE, 0.746 (P <0.001) for AKIN, and 0.757 (P <0.001) for KDIGO. KDIGO was more predictive than RIFLE for in-hospital mortality (P <0.001), but there was no difference between KDIGO and AKIN (P = 0.12).ConclusionsA higher incidence of AKI was diagnosed according to KDIGO criteria. Patients diagnosed as AKI had a significantly higher in-hospital mortality than non-AKI patients, no matter which criteria were used. Compared with the RIFLE criteria, KDIGO was more predictive for in-hospital mortality, but there was no significant difference between AKIN and KDIGO.

IntroductionEarly and aggressive volume resuscitation is fundamental in the treatment of hemodynamic instability in critically ill patients and improves patient survival. However, one important consequence of fluid administration is the risk of developing fluid overload (FO), which is associated with increased mortality in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). We evaluated the impact of fluid balance on mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with AKI.MethodsThe data were extracted from the Beijing Acute Kidney Injury Trial. This trial was a prospective, observational, multicenter study conducted in 30 ICUs among 28 tertiary hospitals in Beijing, China, from 1 March to 31 August 2012. In total, 3107 patients were admitted consecutively, and 2526 patients were included in this study. The data from the first 3 sequential days were analyzed. The AKI severity was classified according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes guidelines. The daily fluid balance was recorded, and the cumulative fluid balance was registered at 24, 48, and 72 h. A multivariate analysis was performed with Cox regression to determine the impact of fluid balance on mortality in patients with AKI.ResultsAmong the 2526 patients included, 1172 developed AKI during the first 3 days. The mortality was 25.7 % in the AKI group and 10.1 % in the non-AKI group (P < 0.001). The daily fluid balance was higher, and the cumulative fluid balance was significantly greater, in the AKI group than in the non-AKI group. FO was an independent risk factor for the incidence of AKI (odds ratio 4.508, 95 % confidence interval 2.900 to 7.008, P < 0.001) and increased the severity of AKI. Non-surviving patients with AKI had higher cumulative fluid balance during the first 3 days (2.77 [0.86–5.01] L versus 0.93 [−0.80 to 2.93] L, P < 0.001) than survivors did. Multivariate analysis revealed that the cumulative fluid balance during the first 3 days was an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality.ConclusionsIn this multicenter ICU study, the fluid balance was greater in patients with AKI than in patients without AKI. FO was an independent risk factor for the incidence of AKI and increased the severity of AKI. A higher cumulative fluid balance was an important factor associated with 28-day mortality following AKI.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13054-015-1085-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundIn 2009, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) was identified as a novel member of the genus phlebovirus in the Bunyaviridae family in China. The detailed clinical features of cases with SFTSV infection have not been well described, and the risk factors for severity among patients and fatality among severe patients remain to be determined.Methodology/Principal FindingsClinical and laboratory features of 115 hospitalized patients with SFTSV infection during the period from June 2010 to December 2011 in Northeast China were retrospectively reviewed. We assessed the risk factors associated with severity in confirmed cases and fatality in severe cases by multivariate analysis. One hundred and three (89.6%) of 115 patients presented with multiple organ dysfunction, and 22 (19.1%) of 115 proceeded to the stage of life threatening multiple organ failure. Of the 115 patients, 14 fatalities (12.2%) were reported. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the independent predictors of risk for severity were: albumin ≤30 g/l (OR, 8.09; 95% CI, 2.58-25.32), APTT ≥ 66 seconds (OR, 14.28; 95% CI, 3.28-62.24), sodium ≤130 mmol/l (OR, 5.44; 95% CI, 1.38-21.40), and presence of neurological manifestations (OR, 7.70; 95% CI, 1.91-31.12). Among patients with severe disease, presence of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (HR, 4.59; 95% CI, 1.48–14.19) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (HR, 4.24; 95% CI, 1.38–13.03) were independently associated with fatality.Conclusions/SignificanceSFTSV infection may present with more severe symptoms and laboratory abnormalities than hitherto reported. Due to infection with a novel bunyavirus, the patients may sufferer multiple organ dysfunction and die of multiple organ failure. In the clinical assessment of any case of SFTS, independent factors relating to prognosis need to be taken into account by clinicians.

BackgroundSevere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), which can cause hemorrhagic fever–like illness, is a newly discovered bunyavirus in China. The pathogenesis of SFTSV infection is poorly understood. However, it has been suggested that immune mechanisms, including cytokines and chemokines, play an important role in disease pathogenesis. In the present study, we investigated host cytokine and chemokine profiles in serum samples of patients with SFTSV infection from Northeast China and explored a possible correlation between cytokine levels and disease severity.Methods and Principal FindingsAcute phase serum samples from 40 patients, diagnosed with SFTSV infection were included. Patients were divided into two groups – severe or non-severe – based on disease severity. Levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, interleukin-6, interferon (IFN)-γ, IFN- γ-induced protein (IP)-10 and RANTES were measured in the serum samples with commercial ELISAs. Statistical analysis showed that increases in TNF-α, IP-10 and IFN-γ were associated with disease severity.ConclusionsWe suggest that a cytokine-mediated inflammatory response, characterized by cytokine and chemokine production imbalance, might be in part responsible for the disease progression of patients with SFTSV infection.