20.1 Acute kidney injury

Question 1

What is AKI?

Answer 1

• The sudden loss of function of the kidneys
• Ranges from minor loss of function to complete failure
• Nearly always due to another serious illness, not a primary kidney problem
• Usually gets better by treating the cause (the underlying serious illness)
• AKI is not a diagnosis by itself
• It is common

Question 2

What are the functions of the kidneys?

Answer 2

• Regulation of erythrocyte production
• Regulation of blood pressure
• Regulation of acid-base balance
• Regulation of mineral levels and bone turnover
• Elimination of metabolic toxins and water through urine (this is the thing that goes wrong in AKI)
  Kidneys are effectively a blood cleaning facility.

Question 3

Which 4 things are cleaned from the blood?

Answer 3

• Toxins, namely urea
• Excess salts, potassium being the most important
• Acid
• Water, water accumulation will eventually lead to pulmonary oedema = hypoxia

During kidney failure these things are not being removed.