Current practice of diagnosis and management of acute kidney injury in intensive care unit in resource limited settings

CRRT in developing world

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has become a mainstay therapy in the intensive care unit (ICU) and its utilization continues to increase in developed countries. The wide variations of CRRT practice, however, are evident in developing countries while clinicians in these resource-limited countries encounter various barriers such as a limited number of nephrologists and trained staff, a gap of knowledge, machine unavailability, cultural and socioeconomic aspects, high-cost therapy without reimbursement, and administrative as well as governmental barriers. In this article, we demonstrate the situation of CRRT and discuss the barriers of CRRT in a resource-limited setting. We also discuss the strategies to improve CRRT practice. These recommendations can serve as a fundamental guideline for clinicians to implement CRRT in low-resource settings.

Barriers to and constraints of acute peritoneal dialysis in acute kidney injury: A nationwide survey

This national survey of barriers to and constraints of acute peritoneal dialysis (aPD) in acute kidney injury (AKI) was performed by distributing an online questionnaire to all medical directors of public dialysis units registered with the Nephrology Society of Thailand during September-November 2019. One hundred and thirteen adult facilities responded to the survey covering 75 from 76 provinces (99%) of Thailand. aPD was performed in 66 centres (58%). In facilities where aPD practice was available, the utilization rate was relatively low (<10 cases/year) and limited to specific conditions, including HIV seropositive patients, previous receiving dialysis education and plan and difficult vascular access creation. Only 9% of facilities performed aPD routinely, but interestingly all such units permitted bedside catheter insertion by the nephrologists or internists. The major constraints placed on aPD practice were PD catheter insertion competency, timely catheter insertion support and the medical supporting team's knowledge/competency deficits. aPD for AKI is underutilized in Thailand and limited by the inability to undertake timely PD catheter insertion and knowledge and competency deficits.

Pragmatic Recommendations for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Current recommendations for the management of patients with COVID-19 and acute kidney injury (AKI) are largely based on evidence from resource-rich settings, mostly located in high-income countries. It is often unpractical to apply these recommendations to resource-restricted settings. We report on a set of pragmatic recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis, and management of patients with COVID-19 and AKI in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). For the prevention of AKI among patients with COVID-19 in LMICs, we recommend using isotonic crystalloid solutions for expansion of intravascular volume, avoiding nephrotoxic medications, and using a conservative fluid management strategy in patients with respiratory failure. For the diagnosis of AKI, we suggest that any patient with COVID-19 presenting with an elevated serum creatinine level without available historical values be considered as having AKI. If serum creatinine testing is not available, we suggest that patients with proteinuria should be considered to have possible AKI. We suggest expansion of the use of point-of-care serum creatinine and salivary urea nitrogen testing in community health settings, as funding and availability allow. For the management of patients with AKI and COVID-19 in LMICS, we recommend judicious use of intravenous fluid resuscitation. For patients requiring dialysis who do not have acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), we suggest using peritoneal dialysis (PD) as first choice, where available and feasible. For patients requiring dialysis who do have ARDS, we suggest using hemodialysis, where available and feasible, to optimize fluid removal. We suggest using locally produced PD solutions when commercially produced solutions are unavailable or unaffordable.

Peritoneal dialysis with a lower dosage versus conventional intermittent hemodialysis in acute kidney injury: A propensity-matched study

BACKGROUND

Literature regarding the outcomes of lower dosage peritoneal dialysis (PD) in treating acute kidney injury (AKI) among resource-limited setting is sparse. This study aims to compare the risk of mortality in patients with AKI receiving lower PD dosage and conventional intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) in Thailand.

METHODS

In a tertiary center in Thailand, a matched case-control study using propensity scores in patients with AKI was conducted to compare the outcomes between lower PD dosage (18 L per day for first two sessions, weekly Kt/V 2.2) and IHD (three times a week) from February 2015 to January 2016. The primary outcome was a 30-day in-hospital mortality rate. Secondary outcomes included dialysis dependence at 90 days.

RESULTS

Eighty-four patients were included (28 PD and 56 IHD). Patient characteristics were comparable between two treatment groups. Overall, the mean age was 58 years. Most of the patients were critically ill (87% need mechanical ventilator; mean acute physiological and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score: 25). The 30-day in-hospital mortality rate was similar between the PD and IHD patients (57% vs. 46%, p = 0.36). The dialysis dependence rate was also comparable at 90 days. The risk of death among AKI patients was higher in those with respiratory failure, higher APACHE II score, and starting dialysis with blood urea nitrogen greater than 70 mg dL^-1.

CONCLUSION

Clinical outcomes, including risk of mortality and 90-day dialysis dependence among patients with AKI, appear to be comparable between lower dosage PD and IHD.

Diagnostic Challenges of Acute Kidney Injury in Asia

Early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important step to improve AKI outcome. In Asia, several distinct conditions of this region such as environment (tropical climate), socioeconomic status (high-resource and low-resource settings), process of care (shortage of nephrologists), exposure factors (specific tropical infections such as leptospirosis, malaria, dengue), and inherent factor (aging) make the diagnosis of AKI in Asia more challenging than in other parts of the world. To improve the diagnosis of AKI, novel tools such as clinical risk scores, AKI alert systems, and telemedicine should be implemented into current clinical practice.

RRT Selection for AKI Patients With Critical Illness

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical burden on intensive care units in Asia. Renal replacement therapy (RRT) acts as strong supportive care for severe AKI. However, various RRT modalities are used in Asia because of the diversity in ethics, climate, geographic features, and socioeconomic status. Extracorporeal blood purification is used commonly in Asian intensive care units; however, intermittent RRT is preferred in developing countries because of cost and infrastructure issues. Conversely, continuous RRT is preferred in developed countries, indicating the predominance of hospital-acquired AKI patients with complications of hemodynamic instability. Peritoneal dialysis is delivered less frequently, although several studies have suggested promising results for peritoneal dialysis in AKI treatment. Of note, not all RRT modalities are available as a standard procedure in some Asian regions, and it is absolutely necessary to develop a sustainable infrastructure that can deliver optimal care for all AKI patients.

The epidemiology and characteristics of acute kidney injury in the Southeast Asia intensive care unit: a prospective multicentre study

Background

Etiologies for acute kidney injury (AKI) vary by geographic region and socioeconomic status. While considerable information is now available on AKI in the Americas, Europe and China, large comprehensive epidemiologic studies of AKI from Southeast Asia (SEA) are still lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the rates and characteristics of AKI among intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Thailand.

Methods

We conducted the largest prospective observational study of AKI in SEA. The data were serially collected on the first 28 days of ICU admission by registration in electronic web-based format. AKI status was defined by full Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcome criteria. We used AKI occurrence as the clinical outcome and explored the impact of modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors on the development and progression of AKI.

Results

We enrolled 5476 patients from 17 ICU centres across Thailand from February 2013 to July 2015. After excluding patients with end-stage renal disease and those with incomplete data, AKI occurred in 2471 of 4668 patients (52.9%). Overall, the maximum AKI stage was Stage 1 in 7.5%, Stage 2 in 16.5% and Stage 3 in 28.9%. In the multivariable adjusted model, we found that older age, female sex, admission to a regional hospital, medical ICU, high body mass index, primary diagnosis of cardiovascular-related disease and infectious disease, higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, non-renal Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores, underlying anemia and use of vasopressors were all independent risk factors for AKI development.

Conclusions

In Thai ICUs, AKI is very common. Identification of risk factors of AKI development will help in the development of a prognostic scoring model for this population and should help in decision making for timely intervention, ultimately leading to better clinical outcomes.