BACKGROUND

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with an increased mortality in critically ill patients, especially in patients with multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS). In daily clinical practice, the grading of AKI follows the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. In most cases, a relevant delay occurs frequently between the onset of AKI and detectable changes in creatinine levels as well as clinical symptoms. The aim of the present study was to examine whether a near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)-based, non-invasive ischemia-reperfusion test (vascular occlusion test (VOT)) together with unprovoked (under resting conditions) tissue oxygen saturation (StO) measurements, contain prognostic information in the early stage of MODS regarding the developing need for renal replacement therapy (RRT).

METHODS

Within a period of 18 months, patients at the medical intensive care unit of a tertiary university hospital with newly developed MODS (≤24 h after diagnosis, APACHE II score ≥20) were included in our study. The VOT occlusion slope (OS) and recovery slope (RS) were recorded in addition to unprovoked StO. StO was determined non-invasively in the area of the thenar muscles using a bedside NIRS device. The VOT was carried out by inflating a blood pressure cuff on the upper arm. AKI stages were determined by the changes in creatinine levels, urinary output, and/or the need for RRT according to KDIGO.

RESULTS

56 patients with MODS were included in the study (aged 62.5 ± 14.4 years, 40 men and 16 women, APACHE II score 34.5 ± 6.4). Incidences of the different AKI stages were: no AKI, 16.1% ( = 9); AKI stage I, 19.6% ( = 11); AKI stage II, 25% ( = 14); AKI stage III, 39.3% ( = 22). Thus, 39.3% of the patients ( = 22) developed the need for renal replacement therapy (AKI stage III). These patients had a significantly higher mortality over 28 days (RRT, 72% ( = 16/22) vs. no RRT, 44% ( = 15/34); = 0.03). The mean unprovoked StO of all patients at baseline was 81.7 ± 11.1%, and did not differ between patients with or without the need for RRT. Patients with RRT showed significantly weaker negative values of the OS (-9.1 ± 3.7 vs. -11.7 ± 4.1%/min, = 0.01) and lower values for the RS (1.7 ± 0.9 vs. 2.3 ± 1.6%/s, = 0.02) compared to non-dialysis patients. Consistent with these results, weaker negative values of the OS were found in higher AKI stages (no AKI, -12.7 ± 4.1%/min; AKI stage I, -11.5 ± 3.0%/min; AKI stage II, -11.1 ± 3.3%/min; AKI stage III, -9.1 ± 3.7%/min; = 0.021). Unprovoked StO did not contain prognostic information regarding the AKI stages.

CONCLUSIONS

The weaker negative values of the VOT parameter OS are associated with an increased risk of developing AKI and RRT, and increased mortality in the early phase of MODS, while unprovoked StO does not contain prognostic information in that regard.