Acute Kidney Injury News

Patients with acute kidney injury, most recently treated solely in the hospital environment, are now making their way back into freestanding dialysis clinics.

Editor’s note: Patients with kidney disease often face a compromised cardiovascular system. Sudden cardiac death is common among patients in the first 90 days of dialysis. Such risks suggest the value of a specialists in both cardiac care and nephrology. We asked Peter McCullough, MD, MPH, FACC, FACP, FCCP, FAHA, FCRS and Savas Petrides, MD, FACP, FCRS, of the Cardio Renal Society of America, about the role of this new specialist.

Support for legalizing the recreational use of marijuana has been steadily climbing. While there has been a decline in marijuana-related convictions and increase in state revenues, the impact on public health and safety is not clear. The nephrology community must be aware of the complications of chronic marijuana use, such as recurrent acute kidney injury secondary to hyperemesis.

A past episode of kidney damage, despite return to normal kidney function before pregnancy, was linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes in a recent study. The findings appearing in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), point to the importance of past kidney health for pregnant women and their babies.

The past 12 months have been busy for the renal care industry ––dialysis patients in ACA health exchanges created some controversy, and a new rule, but also higher profits for providers.

One of every four children admitted to pediatric intensive care units around the world develops acute kidney injury (AKI), which increases the risk of death as well as longer and more intensive hospitalizations, according to a study published online in The New England Journal of Medicine.

A new analysis indicates that women do not have a higher risk than men for developing kidney damage after cardiovascular surgery when adjustments are made for comorbidities. The findings appear in an article, entitled “Sex and the Risk of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) Following Cardio-thoracic Surgery: A Meta-analysis,” published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

A new analysis indicates that radiocontrast, which is commonly used during selected imaging tests may be less hazardous than previously thought. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), suggest that imaging studies that might help save or improve lives are being unnecessarily withheld from patients owing to exaggerated fears.

Testing for a common genetic variant may help reveal which patients face an increased risk of developing kidney damage following heart surgery. The findings, published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), may help investigators develop therapeutic strategies to mitigate this damage.

Among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, high-dose treatment with atorvastatin before and after surgery did not reduce the overall risk of acute kidney injury compared with placebo, according to a study published by JAMA. The study is being released to coincide with its presentation at the Society of Critical Care Medicine's 45th Critical Care Congress.