Acute Kidney Injury: Early Diagnosis and Prevention

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an increasingly common and potentially catastrophic complication in hospitalized patients. Despite our sophisticated understanding of the epidemiology and pathobiology of acute kidney injury, current prevention strategies are inadequate and current treatment options outside of renal replacement therapy are nonexistent. There has been increasing interest in the identification and validation of novel biomarkers of acute kidney injury that may permit earlier and more accurate diagnosis. AKI is also being recognized as an important risk factor for chronic kidney disease.