Examining the independent predictive value of acute kidney injury among patients with and without infection on outcome in the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden reduction in kidney function (commonly caused by infections and other illnesses) and occurs in about one-fifth of patients admitted to hospital. Compared to admissions not complicated by AKI, hospitalisation with AKI has been associated with longer stay and higher in-hospital mortality. Furthermore, AKI is not only associated with short- and long-term mortality, but also long-term risk for cardiovascular events (like heart attacks) and dialysis. Previous studies of AKI are small in size and do not adequately account for how acutely unwell the patient was. This raises the question of whether AKI, and in particular sepsis-induced AKI, is truly an independent predictor of patient outcomes.