Contributions to nephrology
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Diuretics are a common intervention in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). However, there is no information that describes the practice patterns of diuretic use by clinicians. ⋯ Diuretics are frequently used in AKI. Clinicians are most familiar with furosemide given intravenously and titrated to a physiologic endpoint of urine output. Most clinicians believe an RCT on diuretic use in AKI is justified and ethical. This survey confirms clinical agreement and a need for higher quality evidence on diuretic use in AKI.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of severe sepsis. Severe sepsis is the most common cause of AKI in ICU. ⋯ Whether this is true, however, remains uncertain. In this paper, we discuss salient pathophysiological aspects of AKI, review the evidence available on the need for fluid resuscitation, the amount and the type of fluid that might be best suited to AKI and discuss all major aspects of fluid resuscitation for septic AKI in humans and experimental animals.
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Review
Renal assist device and treatment of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury in intensive care units.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent and serious complication of sepsis in ICU patients and is associated with a very high mortality. Despite the advent of sophisticated renal replacement therapies (RRT) employing high-dose hemofiltration and high-flux membranes, mortality and morbidity from sepsis-induced AKI remained high. ⋯ The results from the in vitro and preclinical animal model studies were very intriguing and led to the development of a bioartificial kidney consisting of a renal tubule assist device containing human proximal tubular cells (RAD) added in tandem to a continuous venovenous hemofiltration circuit. The results from the phase I safety trial and the recent phase II clinical trial showed that the RAD not only can replace many of the indispensable biological kidney functions, but also modify the natural history of sepsis-induced AKI by ameliorating patient survival.
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The acute renal failure (ARF) incidence in pediatric cardiac surgery intensive care unit (ICU) ranges from 5 to 20% of patients. In particular, clinical features of neonatal ARF are mostly represented by fluid retention, anasarca and only slight creatinine increase; this is the reason why medical strategies to prevent and manage ARF have limited efficacy and early optimization of renal replacement therapy (RRT) plays a key role in the outcome of cardiopathic patients. ⋯ PD is a safe and adequate strategy to support ARF in neonates with congenital heart disease. Fluid balance control is easily optimized by this therapy whereas solute control reaches acceptable levels.