Acute kidney injury in ICU

SummaryThis review will describe the “new era” of critical care nephrology by presenting the current literature (and its many controversies) concerning the diagnosis, physiopathology and management of acute kidney injury (AKI). A conventional definition for the acute changes of renal function, previously lacking in the medical community, has recently been proposed in order to gather and compare the experiences of different centres relating to AKI incidence and management. Such a new definition is actually a classification that describes renal damage as a spectrum of progressive damage, from mild creatinine increase to renal injury and through to a more severe form, failure: preventive measures, medical treatment and dialysis can now be standardized and data collected in order to improve the outcome of critically ill patients with AKI.