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Recent Advances in Acute Kidney Injury in Preterm Infants

  • Renal (D Noone, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common among the infants admitted in the NICU, particularly the preterm infants. Very little is known about this disease in this vulnerable population.

Recent Findings

AWAKEN (Assessment of Worldwide Acute Kidney injury Epidemiology in Neonates) study conducted by Neonatal Kidney Consortium (NKC) and other recent studies during the last decade have added to the knowledge of AKI in preterm infants regarding its definition, epidemiology, risk factors, association, and outcomes.

Summary

The lack of uniform definitions of AKI has been one of the biggest hurdles in knowing the true incidence of the disease and its risk factors. This, in turn, is related to delayed recognition and prevention of AKI. Furthermore, with the advances in technology, there has been an increase in renal replacement therapy (RRT) for the management of AKI in preterm infants. In this review, we will detail the development of kidney function in the preterm infant, definition of AKI, newly reported risk factors, association with dysfunction of other organs, recurrent AKI, and possible progression to chronic kidney disease. We will also discuss the increasing role of omics in early identification and effects of management of AKI in preterm infants.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. George Washington University Hospital, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA

    Beri Massa-Buck & Shantanu Rastogi

  2. George Washington University SMHS, 900 23rd Street NW G-1032, Washington, DC, 20037, USA

    Shantanu Rastogi

Authors
  1. Beri Massa-Buck
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SR had the idea for the article; SR and BM-B performed the literature search, drafted, and critically revised the work.

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Correspondence to Shantanu Rastogi.

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Massa-Buck, B., Rastogi, S. Recent Advances in Acute Kidney Injury in Preterm Infants. Curr Pediatr Rep 10, 165–171 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40124-022-00271-2

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