EM · Acute kidney injury
Acute kidney injury
Also known as AKI · Acute renal failure · Pre-renal uraemia · Acute tubular necrosis
Acute kidney injury in the emergency department — KDIGO definition and staging, causes and urinary indices, isotonic fluids and balanced crystalloids, diuretics and contrast, hyperkalaemia, RRT timing and urgent indications, and rhabdomyolysis.
Checked against its sources on 24 Oct 2026
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Red flags
- Life-threatening fluid, electrolyte or acid-base changes require emergent RRT
- Hyperkalaemia with ECG changes requires immediate intravenous calcium
- Oliguria below 0.5 mL/kg/h for at least six hours meets the AKI definition even before a creatinine threshold is reached
- KDIGO suggests not using diuretics to treat AKI except for volume overload
Meet the patient
A 72-year-old man with sepsis has produced almost no urine for eight hours. His creatinine has risen from a baseline of 95 to 340 micromol/L, and his potassium is 6.7 mmol/L.[25]
This is severe AKI with an immediate threat. Creatinine above three times baseline is KDIGO stage 3, and oliguria below 0.5 mL/kg/h for at least six hours meets the urine-output definition of AKI. Life-threatening electrolyte and acid-base changes require emergent RRT.[25]
References25ShowHide
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- [20]Allon M, Copkney C. Albuterol and insulin for treatment of hyperkalemia in hemodialysis patients Kidney Int, 1990.PMID 2266671
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- [25]Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) KDIGO 2012 Clinical Practice Guideline for Acute Kidney Injury KDIGO, 2012.Source