Profile of Acute Kidney Injury in the Pediatric Age Group in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a menace in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality all over the world. There are limited data available on pediatric AKI in central India. Our primary objective is to determine the clinical, etiological, and outcome profile of AKI in the pediatric age group of 3 months to 15 years admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur. The secondary objective(s) is to predict the association of mortality in children diagnosed with AKI and to estimate the number of patients developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) at three-month follow-up.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This observational study was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics at AIIMS Raipur, Chhattisgarh, from September 2021 to February 2023. All patients aged 3 months to 15 years of age satisfying the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria for AKI and presenting to the hospital were included, and those refusing consent or having CKD stage ≥3 were excluded. A total of 66 children were assessed for eligibility. Out of these 66 patients, 2 were excluded as they had AKI on CKD, and a total of 64 patients were included. For all included patients, details of their demography, clinical features, etiology workup, and hospital stay were collected. Their outcome was observed and categorized into complete response, partial response, no response, left against medical advice (LAMA), or death. Patients who were discharged were followed up for three months and observed for the recovery or development of CKD.

RESULTS: The incidence of AKI in the PICU was 15.48% (64/413). Ventricular septal defect with pneumonia and pneumonia (12.5%, 8/64 each) were the most common diagnoses at presentation, resulting in AKI. The most common clinical presentations were fever (54.7%, 35/64) and respiratory distress (43.8%, 28/64). Out of them, 73.4% (47/64) had sepsis, and 62.5% (40/64) had shock. About 56.2% (36/64) of children had non-oliguric AKI as compared to 43.8% (28/64) who had oliguric AKI. Among total children with AKI, 54.7% (35/64) of patients had prerenal AKI, 43.8% (28/64) had renal AKI, and 1.6% (1/64) had postrenal AKI. Of all the children included, 32.8% (21/64) experienced complete resolution of AKI, while 18.8% (12/64) showed partial resolution, and 1.6% (1/64) remained unresolved. Among them, 3.1% (2/64) LAMA, and 43.8% (28/64) died. The median duration of the hospital stay in our study was 16.5 days. Out of them, 59.4% (38/64) of patients required renal replacement therapy (60.5% required peritoneal dialysis (PD), 36.8% required hemodialysis (HD), and 2.6% required both). Among survivors, 19.35% (6/31) developed CKD on a three-month follow-up.

CONCLUSION: The incidence of AKI was seen in critically ill children in the PICU, and it was associated with high mortality.