Health and Medical News

Acute Kidney Injury With Sepsis -- A Unique Pathophysiology

Health and Medical News - Urology & Nephrology
Saturday, 12 April 2008
ICU patients with septic acute kidney injury (AKI) are typically sicker, have a higher burden of sickness, a greater risk of mortality and longer stays in hospital than patients with non-septic AKI. The findings, published in the open access journal Critical Care, suggest that septic AKI may represent a unique pathophysiologic condition that may require particular detection and clinical interventions. Researchers from Melbourne, Australia, evaluated data on more than 120,000 admissions to 57 intensive care units (ICUs) across Australia. Over 33,000 patients had a diagnosis of sepsis, of which 14,000 (42%) had concomitant AKI (septic AKI). Sepsis accounted for 32.4% of all patients with AKI. Previous research has found that AKI affects more than one third of all patients admitted to ICUs and that discriminating between the septic and non-septic forms of the condition may have implications for how patients are treated. Compared to non-septic AKI, patients with septic AKI in this newest study had significantly higher acuity of sickness, lower blood pressure, higher heart rates, worse pulmonary function, greater acidemia and higher white cell counts. The septic condition tended to be more severe, with longer ICU and hospital stays and a higher risk of mortality in hospital. "Septic AKI is usual in the first 24 hours after ICU admission," says Sean Bagshaw, who led the study. "Our findings suggest that septic AKI patients are clinically different and have distinguishing features and relevant difference in clinical outcomes when compared to those with non-septic AKI. "Our study further supports the concept that discriminating septic and non-septic AKI may have clinical importance. We now need to investigate further whether patients may require particular interventions, for instance mechanical ventilation or vasopressor support, to decrease injury and promote kidney recovery." 1. Early Acute Kidney Injury and Sepsis: A Multi-Centre Evaluation Sean M Bagshaw, Carol George and Rinaldo Bellomo Critical Care (in press) Article available at the journal website:http://ccforum.com/ All articles are available free, according to BioMed Central's open access policy. 2. Critical Care is a high quality, peer-reviewed, international clinical medical journal. Critical Care aims to enhance the care of critically ill patients by acquiring, discussing, distributing, and promoting evidence-based info relevant to intensivists. The journal is edited by Prof Jean-Louis Vincent (Belgium) and has an Impact Factor of 3.12 3. BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/) is an independent online publishing house committed to providing instant access without charge to the peer-reviewed biological and medical research it publishes. This commitment is based on the view that open access to research is important to the fast and effective communication of science. Source: Charlotte Webber BioMed Central

[ Back ]

Latest news in this category:

Overall Decrease In Kidney Cancer Deaths In Europe
Saturday, 12 April 2008
Overall deaths from kidney cancer have now fallen across Europe after peaking in the early 1990s, according to a detailed study of mortality rates for 32 countries published in the urology journal BJU International.

Acute Kidney Injury With Sepsis -- A Unique Pathophysiology
Saturday, 12 April 2008
ICU patients with septic acute kidney injury (AKI) are typically sicker, have a higher burden of sickness, a greater risk of mortality and longer stays in hospital than patients with non-septic AKI.

Major Surgery No Longer Needed For The Removal Of Uterine Fibroids
Saturday, 12 April 2008
The treatment of uterine fibroids with 3T MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is safe, non-invasive and effective, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, NY.

InventHelp Client Invents Catheter Accessory For Patients Using Foley Catheter Urinary Drainage Bags
Friday, 11 April 2008
InventHelp announces that 2 of its clients, inventors from Drexel, N.C., have designed a health care accessory for individuals using Foley catheter urinary drainage bags. The inventors have built a prototype.

Drug Found Safe And Effective In Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
Thursday, 10 April 2008
The osteoporosis drug raloxifene increases bone mineral density and reduces the risk of vertebral fractures among postmenopausal women with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a study appearing in the July 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology.

University Of Queensland Kidney Researcher Attracts International Medal, Australia
Thursday, 10 April 2008
University of Queensland researcher Professor Wendy Hoy has been recognised internationally for her work on kidney disease. Professor Hoy has been awarded the United States National Kidney Foundation (NKF) International Distinguished Medal for 2008 at a ceremony in Dallas, Texas.

Overall Death Due To Kidney Cancer Fall In Europe - But Wide Variations Between Countries Still Exis
Wednesday, 09 April 2008
After peaking in the early 1990s, overall kidney cancer deaths have now dropped across Europe, according to a detailed study of mortality rates for 32 countries. The study is published in the journal BJU International (British Journal of Urology International).

Main Menu

Most popular articles

Latest News