BACKROUND. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common serious complication of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and an important marker of morbidity and mortality in critically ill septic patients. AKI due to severe acute pancreatitis can be the result of hypoxemia, release of pancreatic amylase from the injured pancreas with impairment of renal microcirculation, decrease in renal perfusion pressure due to abdominal compartment syndrome, intraabdominal hypertension or hypovolemia. Endotoxins and reactive oxygen species (ROS) also play an important role in the pathophysiology of SAP and AKI. Knowledge of the pathophysiology and diagnosis of AKI following SAP might improve the therapeutic outcome of critically ill patients.
Methods and results: An overview of the pathophysiology, diagnosis and potential treatment options based on a literature search of clinical human and experimental studies from 1987 to 2013.
Conclusions: Early recognition of AKI and SAP in order to prevent severe complication like septic shock, intraabdominal hypertension or abdominal compartment syndrome leading to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is a crucial tool of therapeutic measures in intensive care.