Long-term outcomes of acute kidney injury

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The goal of this review is to summarize the recent plethora of data that relate to long-term outcomes after acute kidney injury (AKI). RECENT FINDINGS: Surviving patients with AKI are still at high risk for long-term adverse outcomes, even if serum creatinine returns to normal. After adjusting for potential confounders, many recent studies have demonstrated that AKI is independently associated with chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, and premature death. Unfortunately, definitive evidence from randomized controlled trials demonstrating that prevention or treatment of AKI prevents long-term adverse outcomes is not yet available. SUMMARY: AKI is clearly a prognostic marker for poor long-term outcomes, but more studies will be needed to determine whether AKI is truly causal and whether or not the risk is modifiable.