Clinical Profile and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury Patients in an Intensive Care Unit in India: A Retrospective Study

Background: In developing countries, there is a scarcity of epidemiology and outcome data on acute kidney injury (AKI). The current single-site study aims to define the clinical profile of AKI in patients admitted to intensive care units at a tertiary care institution in Mangalore, India, by attempting to identify the presenting symptoms, etiologies, treatment methods, and disease prognosis.

Methods: Between October 2001 and October 2003, 70 AKI patients with a serum creatinine level greater than 1.4 mg/dl and blood urea greater than 53 mg/dl were enrolled in this retrospective study at Wenlock district hospital, Mangalore, KMC hospital Attawar, Mangalore, and KMC hospital, Jyothi circle, Mangalore.

Results: Amongst the enrolled patients, 45.7% of patients were in the 40-60 years age group, 49 males with no significant (p=0.412) gender difference. The most common presenting symptom was decreased micturition, which was present in 47.1 percent of patients, and the most common aetiology of AKI was sepsis, which was also associated with the highest (17.1 percent) mortality. The mortality rate for patients who had conservative treatment (n=52) was 42.8 percent, while the mortality rate for those who received hemodialysis (n=18) was 4.2 percent. The overall survival rate in the study was 52.9%.

Conclusions: The epidemiological data in this study is consistent with prior studies in India, with hemodialysis appearing to have better disease outcomes than conservative therapy.