BACKGROUND The optimal timing of renal replacement therapy (RRT) initiation for acute kidney injury (AKI) is unknown. There is debate as to whether starting RRT earlier for AKI is superior to starting it only after 'conventional', life-threatening indications are present. SUMMARY In recent years, there has been an ongoing trend in clinical practice to initiate RRT for AKI long before indicati...

BACKGROUND Myocardial infarction-related cardiogenic shock is frequently complicated by acute kidney injury. We examined the influence of acute kidney injury treated with renal replacement therapy (AKI-RRT) on risk of chronic dialysis and mortality, and assessed the role of comorbidity in patients with cardiogenic shock. METHODS In this Danish cohort study conducted during 2005-2012, we used ...

Rapidly Exploring Random Tree (RRT) is one of the quickest and the most efficient obstacle free path finding algorithm. However, it cannot guarantee finding the most optimal path.. A recently proposed extension of RRT, known as Rapidly Exploring Random Tree Star (RRT*), claims to achieve convergence towards the optimal solution but has been proven to take an infinite time to do so and with a sl...

INTRODUCTION Previous studies using Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN)/RIFLE criteria to classify early initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) have defined it as the therapy started in less severe AKIN/RIFLE stages. Generally, these studies failed in demonstrating measurable benefits. METHODS We compared RRT initiation in critically ill patients and defined early or late RRT in referen...

INTRODUCTION Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We compared long-term outcome and quality of life (QOL) in ICU patients with AKI treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) with matched non-AKI-RRT patients. METHODS Over 1 year, consecutive adult ICU patients were included in a pro...

Up to 17% of hospital admissions are complicated by serious adverse events unrelated to the patients presenting medical condition. Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) review patients during early phase of deterioration to reduce patient morbidity and mortality. However, reports of the efficacy of these teams are varied. The aims of this article were to explore the concept of RRT dose, to assess whether...

INTRODUCTION One of the top research priorities in acute kidney injury is related to the timing of renal replacement therapy (RRT) initiation. The purpose was to develop an index that might serve as a standardized concept of timing of initiation of RRT. METHODS A previously described database was used. We applied a multivariable Cox regression model with backward selection to characterize par...

BACKGROUND KDOQI guidelines recommend preparation for renal replacement therapy (RRT) once stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) is reached. Recent studies conducted in the general population and in patients referred to nephrologists have shown that CKD patients, especially the elderly, are much more likely to die than to reach RRT. We investigated whether futile preparation for RRT was performe...

INTRODUCTION Outcome studies in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) have focused on differences between modalities of renal replacement therapy (RRT). The outcome of conservative treatment, however, has never been compared with RRT. METHODS Nine Belgian intensive care units (ICUs) included all adult patients consecutively admitted with serum creatinine >2 mg/dl. Included treatment options...

BACKGROUND Fabry disease, an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by deficiency of alpha-galactosidase activity, is associated with progressive loss of kidney function. This study was undertaken to characterize Fabry disease among patients who reached end-stage renal disease. METHODS Data from 2,712 patients in the Fabry Registry were analysed to identify clinical characteristics of pat...