Acute kidney injury is more frequent and the mortality rate would be as high as 50-60% when the renal replacement therapy was needed. Many studies about the timing of start and discontinuation of dialysis, dialysis dose, dialyzer, anticoagulation and dialysates were initiated but the results were still controversial. In addition, more new biomarkers were found to predict the outcome of acute kidney injury and these biomarkers may play an important role for the dilemma of aforementioned studies.

This observational prospective study has two objectives:

1. To find the predictors of outcome for the acute kidney injury with renal replacement therapy and determine the appropriate method.
2. To find the relationship between new biomarkers and acute kidney injury and determine whether it can be a factor for the monitor of the response of the renal replacement therapy.

Background:

Acute kidney injury is more frequent than before and the incidence rate was about 35-50% in hospital. The mortality rate would be as high as 50-60% when the renal replacement therapy was needed. Many studies about the timing of start and discontinuation of dialysis, dialysis dose, dialyzer, anticoagulation and dialysates were initiated but the results were still controversial. In addition, more new biomarkers were found to predict the outcome of acute kidney injury and these biomarkers may play an important role for the dilemma of aforementioned studies

Objectives:

1. To find the predictors of outcome for the acute kidney injury with renal replacement therapy and determine the appropriate method of renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury
2. To find the relationship between new biomarkers and acute kidney injury and determine whether it can be a factor for the monitor of the response of the renal replacement therapy.

Methods:

1. Study duration: 2010/01/01 to 2011/6/30
2. Patient eligibility : over 18 years-old and admitted to medical intensive care units of National Taiwan University Hospital
3. A prospective study to collect the parameters including underlying diseases, vital signs, biochemistry data, urine output, disease severity scores, dialysis timing, dialysis dose, dialyzer, anticoagulation agents
4. Collect serum and urine sample for biomarkers if patient agree

Statistics:

Normally distributed variables are expressed as means ± SDs. Statistical significance is set at P<0.05. All statistical analyses are performed with SAS statistical software. Comparisons between two groups are assessed with the student's unpaired t test and Mann-Whitney test. Differences between more than two groups are analyzed by ANOVA (ANOVA) using one-way ANOVA. Survival analyses are made with the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and the Cox proportional hazard model.

Keywords : acute kidney injury, renal replacement therapy, biomarkers

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients older than 18 years-old and admitted to intensive care units of National Taiwan University Hospital

Exclusion Criteria:

• End stage renal disease
• Terminal disease with estimated life span shorter than 28 days

Patients older than 18 years-old and admitted to intensive care units of National Taiwan University Hospital