The kidney in critical illness: How to monitor a pivotal organ system

Acute kidney injury is an important complication in patients undergoing major and especially cardiac surgery and in the critically ill. Within the last years, several new modalities have been developed for monitoring of renal function that may be used for early detection of patients developing renal dysfunction as well as to monitor the effects of treatments on this pivotal organ. The present manuscript aims to give a critical overview about recent developments in the field.