The Japanese Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (jpCRRT) Registry: Study Protocol

BACKGROUND

The use of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in critically ill children is rapidly increasing, but the standard of care has not yet been established and prognosis remains poor. To develop optimal CRRT strategies, we launched a research project generating the Japanese Pediatric CRRT registry, a multicenter registry of CRRT in Japanese pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), to investigate the actual status of CRRT in recent years in PICUs, where data are lacking.

METHODS

This manuscript presents a protocol for planning a multicenter prospective registry. As of April 2023, 15 Japanese PICUs are voluntarily participating. Patients enrolled are those <16 years of age who enter the PICUs of the collaborating institutions, require CRRT, and have the guardians' consent. CRRT is defined as anticipated to be required for >24 hours, and CRRT connected to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is also included. The registry is an online registry system managed by the University Hospital Medical Information Network. The primary outcomes are Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category Scale at PICU discharge and 6 months post-discharge (deaths included), persistent need for dialysis, and PICU readmission within 6 months. The secondary outcomes are adverse events during and immediately after CRRT initiation, and initial circuit life span.

CONCLUSIONS

This project will examine the differences in outcomes of CRRT in PICUs in specific patient and treatment groups and will be used to design future interventional studies. We will also aim to establish a platform for a multicenter registry study in Japanese PICUs, considering the current lack of such a platform.

Kidney Replacement Therapy in Patients with Acute Liver Failure and End-Stage Cirrhosis Awaiting Liver Transplantation

Providing dialysis to patients with liver failure is challenging because of their tenuous hemodynamics and refractory ascites. With better machinery and increased availability, continuous kidney replacement therapy has been successfully delivered to acutely ill patients in liver failure over the past few decades. Intermittent hemodialysis continues to remain the modality of choice outside the intensive care unit and on occasion needs to be complemented with paracentesis. Peritoneal dialysis has not been widely used, but recent literature shows promising outcomes barring for publication bias. Albumin dialysis could be a lifesaving procedure for a carefully selected subgroup of patients with liver failure.

AKI Associated with Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a common disorder of the pancreas. It is the most frequent gastrointestinal cause for hospitalization and one of the leading causes of in-hospital deaths. Its severity ranges from mild self-limited disease to severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis characterized by systemic complications and multiorgan failure. Severe acute pancreatitis develops in about 20% of patients with acute pancreatitis and may be associated with multiorgan failure (respiratory, cardiovascular, and kidney). AKI is a frequent complication of severe acute pancreatitis and develops late in the course of the disease, usually after the failure of other organs. It carries a very poor prognosis, particularly if kidney replacement therapy is required, with mortality rates exceeding 75%. The exact pathophysiology of AKI in acute pancreatitis remains unclear but appears to result from initial volume depletion followed by complex vascular and humoral factors. Here, we provide an overview of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, causes, and management of AKI in patients with severe acute pancreatitis.

Major Adverse Kidney Events in Pediatric Sepsis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Major adverse kidney events, a composite of death, new kidney replacement therapy, or persistent kidney dysfunction, is a potential patient-centered outcome for clinical trials in sepsis-associated kidney injury. We sought to determine the incidence of major adverse kidney events within 30 days and validate this end point in pediatric sepsis.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS

We conducted a retrospective observational study using the Pediatric Health Information Systems Plus database of patients >6 months to <18 years old with a diagnosis of severe sepsis/septic shock; orders for bacterial blood culture, antibiotics, and at least one fluid bolus on hospital day 0/1; and known hospital disposition between January 2007 and December 2011. The primary outcome was incidence of major adverse kidney events within 30 days. Major adverse kidney events within 30 days were validated against all-cause mortality at hospital discharge, hospital length of stay, total hospital costs, hospital readmission within 30 days and 1 year, and lowest eGFR between 3 months and 1 year after discharge. We reported incidence of major adverse kidney events within 30 days with 95% confidence intervals using robust SEM and used multivariable logistic regression to test the association of major adverse kidney events within 30 days with hospital costs and mortality.

RESULTS

Of 1685 admissions, incidence of major adverse kidney events within 30 days was 9.6% (95% confidence interval, 8.1% to 11.0%), including 4.5% (95% confidence interval, 3.5% to 5.4%) death, 1.7% (95% confidence interval, 1.1% to 2.3%) kidney replacement therapy, and 5.8% (95% confidence interval, 4.7% to 6.9%) persistent kidney dysfunction. Patients with versus without major adverse kidney events within 30 days had higher all-cause mortality at hospital discharge (28% versus 1%; P<0.001), higher total hospital costs ($61,188; interquartile range, $21,272-140,356 versus $28,107; interquartile range, $13,056-72,697; P<0.001), and higher proportion with eGFR<60 ml/min per 1.73 m² between 3 months and 1 year after discharge (19% versus 4%; P=0.001). Major adverse kidney events within 30 days was not associated with length of stay or readmissions.

CONCLUSIONS

In children with sepsis, major adverse kidney events within 30 days are common, feasible to measure, and a promising end point for future clinical trials.