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Review
. 2024 Apr 23;13(9):2455.
doi: 10.3390/jcm13092455.

Treatment of Acute Kidney Injury: A Review of Current Approaches and Emerging Innovations

Christina Tamargo  1 , Mohamad Hanouneh  1   2 , C Elena Cervantes  1
Affiliations
Review

Treatment of Acute Kidney Injury: A Review of Current Approaches and Emerging Innovations

Christina Tamargo et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a complex and life-threatening condition with multifactorial etiologies, ranging from ischemic injury to nephrotoxic exposures. Management is founded on treating the underlying cause of AKI, but supportive care-via fluid management, vasopressor therapy, kidney replacement therapy (KRT), and more-is also crucial. Blood pressure targets are often higher in AKI, and these can be achieved with fluids and vasopressors, some of which may be more kidney-protective than others. Initiation of KRT is controversial, and studies have not consistently demonstrated any benefit to early start dialysis. There are no targeted pharmacotherapies for AKI itself, but some do exist for complications of AKI; additionally, medications become a key aspect of AKI management because changes in renal function and dialysis support can lead to issues with both toxicities and underdosing. This review will cover existing literature on these and other aspects of AKI treatment. Additionally, this review aims to identify gaps and challenges and to offer recommendations for future research and clinical practice.

Keywords: acute kidney injury; blood pressure; dialysis; fluids; kidney replacement therapy; treatment; vasopressors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Mohamad Hanouneh reports serving on a speaker’s bureau for AstraZeneca, Bayer, Alexion, and Boehringer Ingelheim. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Fluid Status assessment—commonly examined sites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

This study received no external funding.