Acute Kidney Injury (Nursing)

Acute kidney injury (AKI), formerly known as acute renal failure (ARF), denotes a sudden and often reversible reduction in kidney function, as measured by glomerular filtration rate (GFR). There is no clear definition of AKI. Several different criteria have been used in research studies, such as RIFLE, AKIN (Acute Kidney Injury Network), or KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria. However, KDIGO is the most recent and most commonly used. According to KDIGO, AKI is the presence of any of the following: 1. Increase in serum creatinine by 0.3 mg/dL or more (26.5 micromoles/L or more) within 48 hours. 2. Increase in serum creatinine to 1.5 times or more baseline, within the prior 7 days. 3. Urine volume less than  0.5 mL/kg/h for at least 6 hours.