American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Urinary cystatin C and acute kidney injury after cardiac surgery.
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common after cardiac surgery and is associated with adverse patient outcomes. Urinary cystatin C (CysC) level is a biomarker of proximal tubule function and may increase earlier in AKI than serum creatinine level. ⋯ Urinary CysC values are not associated significantly with the development of AKI after cardiac surgery in adults and children.
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In response to the recently released 2012 KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) clinical practice guideline for acute kidney injury (AKI), the National Kidney Foundation organized a group of US experts in adult and pediatric AKI and critical care nephrology to review the recommendations and comment on their relevancy in the context of current US clinical practice and concerns. The first portion of the KDIGO guideline attempts to harmonize earlier consensus definitions and staging criteria for AKI. While the expert panel thought that the KDIGO definition and staging criteria are appropriate for defining the epidemiology of AKI and in the design of clinical trials, the panel concluded that there is insufficient evidence to support their widespread application to clinical care in the United States. The panel generally concurred with the remainder of the KDIGO guidelines that are focused on the prevention and pharmacologic and dialytic management of AKI, although noting the dearth of clinical trial evidence to provide strong evidence-based recommendations and the continued absence of effective therapies beyond hemodynamic optimization and avoidance of nephrotoxins for the prevention and treatment of AKI.
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Metabolic alkalosis, isolated or in combination with another abnormality, is the most common acid-base disorder in patients with congestive heart failure. In most cases, it is a result of diuretic therapy, which causes activation of the renin-angiotensin system, chloride depletion, increased distal sodium delivery, hypokalemia, and increased urine acidification, all of which contribute to bicarbonate retention. ⋯ Treatment of metabolic alkalosis is based on the elimination of generation and maintenance factors, chloride and potassium repletion, enhancement of renal bicarbonate excretion (such as acetazolamide), direct titration of the base excess (hydrochloric acid), or, if accompanied by kidney failure, low-bicarbonate dialysis. In congestive heart failure, appropriate management of circulatory failure and use of an aldosterone antagonist in the diuretic regimen are integral to treatment.