Background: The consensus definition of acute kidney injury (AKI) has evolved since developing the original multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) definitions. Whether or not risk for adverse short- and long-term outcomes can be identified using the refined AKI criteria in the setting of MODS has not been studied. We hypothesize that incorporation of Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcome (KDIGO) AKI criteria into existing MODS definitions will have a higher association with major adverse kidney events at 30 days (MAKE30) and will increase the number of patients with MODS.
Methods: Post hoc analysis of 410 children admitted to a tertiary care pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) was conducted. MODS was defined using two existing criteria (Goldstein and Proulx) during the first 7 days following ICU admission and then modified by replacement of the kidney injury criteria using the KDIGO AKI definitions (G' and P').
Results: MAKE30 occurred in 65 of 410 (16%) children. After substituting KDIGO kidney injury criteria, identification of MAKE30 increased from 46 children (71%) to 53 (82%) and 29 children (45%) to 43 (66%) for the Goldstein and Proulx criteria, respectively. Additionally, identification of MODS increased from 194 (47%) by Goldstein to 224 (55%) by G' and 95 children (23%) by Proulx to 132 (32%) by P'.
Conclusions: Substituting KDIGO AKI criteria into existing MODS criteria increases the sensitivity for major adverse kidney events as well as the identification of MODS, improving the detection of children at risk for long-term adverse renal outcomes.
Keywords: Acute kidney injury; Children; Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes; Major adverse kidney events; Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.