• Max V Wohlauer, Angela Sauaia, Ernest E Moore, Clay Cothren Burlew, Anirban Banerjee, and Jeffrey Johnson.
• Department of Surgery, University of Colorado-Denver, CO 80204, USA.
• J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2012 Feb 1;72(2):373-8; discussion 379-80.

BackgroundDespite improved resuscitation strategies, acute kidney injury (AKI) remains an important cause of morbidity and high resource use among severely injured patients. Thus, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the epidemiology and outcomes of early AKI among severely injured patients as well as its impact on the development of postinjury multiple organ failure (MOF).MethodsWe queried our 17-year database of high-risk postinjury patients (Injury Severity Score >15, age >15 years, survival >48 hours, and no isolated head injury). MOF and AKI (creatinine >1.8 mg/dL) were defined by the Denver MOF score. Patients with documented preexisting renal, hepatic, cardiac, or pulmonary disease (120, 5%) were excluded, leaving 2157 for analysis.ResultsEarly (day 2) AKI was evident in 2.13% of the patients and associated with a 78% MOF incidence and 27% mortality. Both rates were higher than those associated with early heart, lung, or liver failure.ConclusionEarly AKI is a harbinger of adverse outcome postinjury, outperforming hepatic, cardiac, or pulmonary dysfunction as a predictor of MOF and death. Prevention of early AKI and a better understanding of organ crosstalk may help reduce AKI-associated morbidity, mortality, and obligatory costs of this complication.Level Of EvidenceI, prognostic study.

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