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Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

Samir Mustafa Smisim

Acute kidney injury (AKI)—or acute renal failure (ARF), is defined as an abrupt or rapid decline in renal filtration function. This condition is usually marked by a rise in serum creatinine concentration or by azotemia (a rise in blood urea nitrogen [BUN] concentration). However, immediately after a kidney injury, BUN or creatinine levels may be normal, and the only sign of a kidney injury may be decreased urine production.

Infections commonly complicate the course of AKI and have been reported to occur in as many as 33% of patients with AKI. The most common sites of infection are the pulmonary and urinary tracts. Infections are the leading cause of morbidity and death in patients with AKI. Various studies have reported mortality rates of 11-72% in infections complicating AKI.