Background
Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been characterized in young high-risk
inpatients, in whom AKI is frequent and associated with increased mortality,
morbidity, and length of stay. The incidence of AKI among patients not
requiring intensive care is unknown.
Study Design
Retrospective cohort study
Setting & Participants
13,914 noncritical admissions during 2011–2012 at our
tertiary referral pediatric hospital were evaluated. Patients <28 days or
>21 years of age, or with chronic kidney disease (CKD), were excluded.
Admissions with ≥2 serum creatinine measurements were evaluated.
Factors
Demographic features, laboratory measurements, medication exposures,
and length of stay.
Outcome
AKI defined by increased serum creatinine in accordance with KDIGO
(Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria. Based on time of
admission, time interval requirements were met in 97% of cases, but
KDIGO time window criteria were not strictly enforced to allow
implementation using clinically-obtained data.
Results
Two or more creatinine measurements (one baseline before or during
admission, and a second during admission) in 2,374 of 13,914 (17%)
patients allowed for AKI evaluation. A serum creatinine difference of
≥0.3 mg/dL or ≥1.5 times baseline was seen in 722 of 2,374
(30%) patients. A minimum of 5% of all noncritical
inpatients without CKD in pediatric wards have an episode of AKI during
routine hospital admission.
Limitations
Urine output, glomerular filtration rate, and time interval criteria
for AKI were not applied secondary to study design and available data. The
evaluated cohort was restricted to patients with ≥2 clinically
obtained serum creatinine measurements, and baseline creatinine may have
been measured after the AKI episode.
Conclusions
AKI occurs in at least 5% of all non-critically ill
hospitalized children, adolescents, and young adults without known CKD.
Physicians should increase their awareness of AKI and improve surveillance
strategies with serum creatinine measurements in this population so that
exacerbating factors such as nephrotoxic medication exposures may be
modified as indicated.