Case Eight - Case One Flashcards
what is AKI
sudden decline in renal function significant enough to produce uraemia, and also often oliguria
what is oliguria
a urine output of <400ml/day
what is a severe AKI defined as
a creatine level of >500umol/L
what is the incidence of AKI
The approximate incidence of AKI is 180 per 1 million; before the age of 50, this value is 17 per 1 million, but as high as 950 per 1 million in those over 80.§
what are the three main categories that causes of AKI be divided into
prerenal
intra-renal
post-renal
what is the most common cause of AKI in the hospital
sepsis
what what is the prerenal causes of AKI
impaired blood flow to the kidney
what may impaired blood flow to the kidney be a result of
hypovolaemia, decreased BP, decreased CO, or vascular disease
what are the clinical signs of prerenal causes of AKI
history of blood/fluid loss,
sepsis leading to vasodilation,
cardiac disease,
postural hypotension,
weak and rapid pulse with low JVP
what are the three intra-renal causes of AKI
- acute tubular necrosis (ATN)
- Nephrotoxicity
- renal parenchymal disease
what is ATN
by far the most common cause of AKI, where toxicity and or ischaemia results in decreased GFR
what is nephrotoxicity causes by
ahminoglycosides
what is renal parenchymal disease a result of
ATN
what are the investigations for AKI
urine dipstick
urine microscopy - red cell casts and red cells
Blood tests- U+E’s - particularly Cr and K+, FBC, free haemoglobin and myoglobin
Kidney function is monitored through urine output analysis and creatinine clearance monitoring – creatinine clearance monitoring is the ideal, i.e. it is a more precise indication of GFR than serum urea monitoring alone!
what is the official definition of AKI
Acute kidney injury is a sudden decline in renal function significant enough to produce uraemia, and also often oliguria – a urine output of <400ml/day, which is the minimum volume required to remove waste products from the blood.
what is the diagnosis criteria for AKI
- there is a rise of serum creatine of >26.5 in <48 hours
OR - there is a rise in serum creatine to >1.5x the baseline level which was previously known or assumed 7 days prior to the presentation
- there is a signifiant reduction in urine output compared to baseline
what is uraemia
a situation where there is enough urea in the blood to cause clinical symptoms, which may include anorexia and lethargy, and later, possible decrease in mental capacity leading to coma
what is the term azotaemia sometimes used for
sometimes used to describe levels of urea above normal but. not high enough to cause clinical signs
what is the mortality of those with an isolated AKI
5-10%
in those with other organ failure that then go into AKI, what is the mortality
50-70%
what are the three questions that need to be asked before diagnosing acute renal failure
- is the renal failure acute?
- is there a urinary tract obstruction?
- is there something rare that might be causing the AKI?
when should chronic renal failure be suspected (three things)
- there is co-existing diabetes
- there is increased blood pressure, and other signs of chronic disease
- small kidneys are apparent on ultrasound with increased echogenicity
what percentage of severe AKIs are due to obstruction
25% - most commonly causes by prostatic hypertrophy
what is the main test for obstruction
USS of the kidneys
renal USS will not detect obstruction but dilation of the calyces, and in 5% of cases, such dilation may not be detected, culminating in a false negative result
what are the three procedures that may be carried out in order to relieve an obstruction
catheritisation
percutaneous nephrostomy
surgery to allow impact of stents while consideration of how to treat the underlying cause is undertaken
what are the rare suspects that may cause an AKi
E.g. glomerulonephritis, vasculitis, or interstitial nephritis. Do a dipstick test on anyone with suspected AKI, and if there are any irregular findings, send off for urgent analysis. Often there will be haematuria and/or proteinuria.
what causes account for 80% of the cases
pre-renal failure and acute tubular necrosis
what antibiotics are contraindicated in sepsis with AKI
treatment with gentamicin or vancomycin as these are nephrotoxic agents
impaired blood flow to the kidney (pre-renal causes) may be a result of what
- hypovolaemia
- hypotension
- decreased CO
- vascular disease
- combinations of any of the above
how is the kidney able to maintain sufficient perfusion despite alterations in these conditions
through auto regulation, however in extreme circumstances, it cannot thus GFR will fail
what is this known as
prerenal uraemia
what drugs impair auto regulation and therefore may predispose to prerenal uraemia
ACE inhibitors and NSAIDs
what are the urine specific gravity and urine osmolarity tests
measures of the concentration of solutes in urine. they are quick and easy to carry out, but are unreliable in the presence of glycosuria or other unrelated conditions that disturb urine concentration
what are the kidneys particularly susceptible to
ischaemic damage and cholestatic jaundice
what conditions perpetuate renal ischaemia
gram-negative septicaemia, pre-eclamsia
what is treatment of ATN based on
increasing renal perfusion, while treating the underlying condition
how do ACE inhibitors damage the kidneys
they can lead to dilation of the efferent arteriole, thus lowering glomerular pressure, resulting in a reduced GFR. in patients with renal disease, this exacerbates the condition
how do NSAIDs damage the kidney
reduce prostaglandin production. prostaglandins are vasodilators - thus inhibition of their production may lead to vasoconstriction of the afferent arteriole, thereby causing reduced renal and reduced GFR
what is the first organ to be jeopardised when systemic circulation iOS compromised
kidneys
what is the well defined sequence of events that culminates in ATN
- rapid reduction in GFR followed by a rapid increase in serum creatine and urea
- extended period, typically 1-2 weeks where there is continued poor kidney function while serum creatinine and urea continue to rise
- finally, there is restoration of kidney function, where GFR rises, whilst serum creatine and urea fall
what is the combination of factors that exist in ATN
- intra-renal vasoconstriction
- tubular cell injury
what is intra-renal vasoconstriction due to
due to decreased vasodilation occurring in the presence of other factors, including endothelial damage e.g in trauma or in infection, where leukocyte activation and release of PGE2, EACh, and bradykinin occurs
what does ischaemia initiate and what does this lead to
ishcaemia initiates rapid utilisation of intracellular ATP stores, which, once depleted, will cause the cell to die by necrosis or apoptosis.
what will happen to adjacent cells
they all lose their adherent quality and desquamate
what does this lead to
RBCs are able to escape into the tubule, squishing together to form casts.
Casts can then block the renal tubule, forming a backup of tubular fluid
where is the necrosis the worst
in the loop of Henle - especially when it lies in a relatively poorly perfused medulla and the proximal tubule
what growth factors are released during cell injury to assist in the regeneration process
insulin-like growth factor, epidermal growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor
what are the three ways in which ischamia results in a reduction of GFR
glomerular contraction
back-leak of filtration
obstruction of the tubule