Raúl Lombardi

Resumo Introdução: A doença renal aguda (DRA) é definida como anormalidades renais funcionais e/ou estruturais, com implicações para saúde e duração ≤90 dias. O objetivo foi avaliar a DRA como uma abordagem mais apropriada para essas condições, utilizando uma coorte com COVID-19, onde o comprometimento renal é expresso por proteinúria e/ou perda de função. Métodos: Estudo de coorte observacional, prospectivo, longitudinal, multinacional realizado em cinco países latino-americanos. Foram incluídos pacientes adultos com diagnóstico de COVID-19. Na internação, realizou-se urinálise ou teste de urina com tira reagente. Caso a proteína não fosse detectada, uma investigação de acompanhamento era feita cinco dias depois. Os pacientes foram classificados em quatro categorias de DRA: doença não renal, somente proteinúria, somente injúria renal aguda (IRA), proteinúria e IRA. Resultados: Foram incluídos 360 pacientes. A DRA esteve presente em 273 (75,8%), dos quais 142 (52,0%) apresentaram somente proteinúria, 11 (4,1%) IRA sem proteinúria e 120 (43,9%) apresentaram proteinúria e IRA. No geral, a proteinúria, com ou sem IRA, foi observada em 262 pacientes (72,8%). A IRA, com ou sem proteinúria, ocorreu em 131 pacientes (36,4%). A IRA foi predominantemente grave, não oligúrica e adquirida no hospital. A mortalidade hospitalar aumentou com a gravidade da DRA: doença não renal 9,5%, somente proteinúria 22,8%, somente IRA 56,7%, proteinúria mais IRA 53,0% (p = 0,001). Conclusões: Nossos dados endossam uma abordagem abrangente baseada no conceito de DRA. Essa abordagem integrativa, englobando o continuum estrutural e funcional de IRA, DRA e DRC, permite intervenções oportunas e a implementação de estratégias preventivas e terapêuticas.

Introduction: Acute kidney disease (AKD) is defined as functional and/or structural abnormalities of kidneys with health implications and a duration of ≤90 days. This study aimed to evaluate AKD as a more appropriate approach to these conditions for which we used a cohort of COVID-19 patients in whom kidney impairment is expressed by proteinuria and/or loss of function. Methods: Observational, prospective, longitudinal, multinational cohort study conducted across five Latin American countries. Adult patients with diagnosis of COVID-19 were included. Upon hospital admission, urinalysis or urine strip test was performed. If protein was not detected, a follow-up search was conducted five days later. Patients were classified in four AKD categories: non-kidney disease, proteinuria only, acute kidney injury (AKI) only, and proteinuria and AKI. Results: Three hundred and sixty patients were included. AKD was present in 273 (75.8%), of whom 142 (52.0%) had only proteinuria, 11 (4.1%) had AKI without proteinuria, and 120 (43.9%) had both proteinuria and AKI. Overall, proteinuria with or without AKI was present in 262 patients (72.8%). AKI with or without proteinuria occurred in 131 patients (36.4%). AKI was mainly severe, non-oliguric, and hospital-acquired. In-hospital mortality increased with the severity of AKD: non-kidney disease 9.5%, proteinuria only 22.8%, AKI only 56.7%, and proteinuria plus AKI 53.0% (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Our data endorse a comprehensive approach based on the concept of AKD. This integrative approach, encompassing the structural and functional continuum of AKI, AKD, and CKD, enables timely interventions and the implementation of preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Introduction Acute kidney disease (AKD) is an innovative perspective that enables a more comprehensive description of acute and subacute kidney disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients based on their AKD stage. Methods Observational, prospective, longitudinal, multinational cohort study conducted across five Latin American countries. Adult patients with diagnosis of Covid 19 were included. Upon hospital admission, a urinalysis or urine strip tests was performed. If protein was not detected, a follow-up search was conducted five days later. Patients were classified in four AKD categories: non-kidney disease, only proteinuria, only acute kidney injury (AKI), proteinuria and AKI. Results Three hundred and sixty patients were included. AKD was present in 273 patients (75.8%), of whom 142 (52.0%) had only proteinuria, 11 (4.1%) had AKI without proteinuria, and 120 (43.9%) had both proteinuria and AKI. Overall, proteinuria with or without AKI was present in 262 patients (72.8%), with 37 of them developing this condition during their hospital stay which shown a more severe condition. AKI with or without proteinuria occurred in 131 patients (36.4%). AKI was mainly severe, non-oliguric and hospital-acquired. In-hospital mortality increased with the severity of AKD stage: non-kidney disease 9.5%, only proteinuria 22.8%, only AKI 56.7%, and proteinuria plus AKI 53.0% (p = 0.001). Conclusions Our data endorse a novel and comprehensive approach based on the concept of AKD. This integrative approach, encompassing the structural and functional continuum of AKI, AKD, and CKD, enables timely interventions and the implementation of preventive and therapeutic strategies.

The Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension conducted a prospective cohort, multinational registry of Latin American patients with kidney impairment associated to COVID-19 infection with the objective to describe the characteristics of acute kidney disease under these circumstances. The study was carried out through open invitation in order to describe the characteristics of the disease in the region. Eight-hundred and seventy patients from 12 countries were included. Median age was 63 years (54–74), most of patients were male (68.4%) and with diverse comorbidities (87.2%). Acute kidney injury (AKI) was hospital-acquired in 64.7% and non-oliguric in 59.9%. Multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) due to COVID-19 and volume depletion were the main factors contributing to AKI (59.2% and 35.7% respectively). Kidney replacement therapy was started in 46.2%. Non-recovery of renal function was observed in 65.3%. 71.5% of patients were admitted to ICU and 72.2% underwent mechanical ventilation. Proteinuria at admission was present in 62.4% of patients and proteinuria during hospital-stay occurred in 37.5%. Those patients with proteinuria at admission had higher burden of comorbidities, higher baseline sCr, and MODS was severe. On the other hand, patients with de novo proteinuria had lower incidence of comorbidities and near normal sCr at admission, but showed adverse course of disease. COVID-19 MODS was the main cause of AKI in both groups. All-cause mortality of the general population was 57.4%, and it was associated to age, sepsis as cause of AKI, severity of condition at admission, oliguria, mechanical ventilation, non-recovery of renal function, in-hospital complications and hospital stay. In conclusion, our study contributes to a better knowledge of this condition and highlights the relevance of the detection of proteinuria throughout the clinical course.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is frequently associated with COVID-19 and it is considered an indicator of disease severity. This study aimed to develop a prognostic score for predicting in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients with AKI (AKI-COV score). This was a cross-sectional multicentre prospective cohort study in the Latin America AKI COVID-19 Registry. A total of 870 COVID-19 patients with AKI defined according to the KDIGO were included between 1 May 2020 and 31 December 2020. We evaluated four categories of predictor variables that were available at the time of the diagnosis of AKI: (1) demographic data; (2) comorbidities and conditions at admission; (3) laboratory exams within 24 h; and (4) characteristics and causes of AKI. We used a machine learning approach to fit models in the training set using tenfold cross-validation and validated the accuracy using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). The coefficients of the best model (Elastic Net) were used to build the predictive AKI-COV score. The AKI-COV score had an AUC-ROC of 0.823 (95% CI 0.761–0.885) in the validation cohort. The use of the AKI-COV score may assist healthcare workers in identifying hospitalized COVID-19 patients with AKI that may require more intensive monitoring and can be used for resource allocation.

The Latin American Society of Nephrology and Hypertension carried out a cohort prospective, multinational registry of patients with kidney impairment associated to COVID-19 in Latin America through open invitation in order to describe the characteristics of the disease in the region. A population of 870 patients from 12 countries were included. Median age was 63 years (54-74), most of patients were male (68.4%) and had comorbidities (87.2%). Acute kidney injury (AKI) was hospital-acquired in 64.7% and non-oliguric in 59.9%. Multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) due to COVID-19 and volume depletion were the main causes of AKI (59.2% and 35.7% respectively). Kidney replacement therapy was started in 46.2%. Non-recovery of renal function was observed in 65.3%. 71.5% of patients were admitted to ICU and 72.2% underwent mechanical ventilation. Proteinuria at admission was present in 62.4% of patients and proteinuria during hospital-stay occurred in 37.5%. Those patients with proteinuria at admission had higher burden of comorbidities, higher baseline sCr, higher mortality and MODS was severe. On the other hand, patients with de novo proteinuria had lower burden of comorbidities and near normal sCr at admission, but showed adverse course of disease and higher in-mortality. COVID-19 MODS was the main cause of AKI in both groups. All-cause mortality was 57.4%, and it was associated to age, chronic cardiac disease, fluid depletion, COVID-19 MODS, non-recovery of renal function, ICU admission, vasopressors, in-hospital complications and hospital stay. In conclusion, our study contributes to a better knowledge of this condition and highlights the relevance of the detection of proteinuria throughout the clinical course.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is increasingly encountered in community settings and contributes to morbidity, mortality, and increased resource utilization worldwide. In low-resource settings, lack of awareness of and limited access to diagnostic and therapeutic interventions likely influence patient management. We evaluated the feasibility of the use of point-of-care (POC) serum creatinine and urine dipstick testing with an education and training program to optimize the identification and management of AKI in the community in 3 low-resource countries.Methods and findings: Patients presenting to healthcare centers (HCCs) from 1 October 2016 to 29 September 2017 in the cities Cochabamba, Bolivia; Dharan, Nepal; and Blantyre, Malawi, were assessed utilizing a symptom-based risk score to identify patients at moderate to high AKI risk. POC testing for serum creatinine and urine dipstick at enrollment were utilized to classify these patients as having chronic kidney disease (CKD), acute kidney disease (AKD), or no kidney disease (NKD). Patients were followed for a maximum of 6 months with repeat POC testing. AKI development was assessed at 7 days, kidney recovery at 1 month, and progression to CKD and mortality at 3 and 6 months. Following an observation phase to establish baseline data, care providers and physicians in the HCCs were trained with a standardized protocol utilizing POC tests to evaluate and manage patients, guided by physicians in referral hospitals connected via mobile digital technology. We evaluated 3,577 patients, and 2,101 were enrolled: 978 in the observation phase and 1,123 in the intervention phase. Due to the high number of patients attending the centers daily, it was not feasible to screen all patients to assess the actual incidence of AKI. Of enrolled patients, 1,825/2,101 (87%) were adults, 1,117/2,101 (53%) were females, 399/2,101 (19%) were from Bolivia, 813/2,101 (39%) were from Malawi, and 889/2,101 (42%) were from Nepal. The age of enrolled patients ranged from 1 month to 96 years, with a mean of 43 years (SD 21) and a median of 43 years (IQR 27–62). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (418/2,101; 20%). At enrollment, 197/2,101 (9.4%) had CKD, and 1,199/2,101 (57%) had AKD. AKI developed in 30% within 7 days. By 1 month, 268/978 (27%) patients in the observation phase and 203/1,123 (18%) in the intervention phase were lost to follow-up. In the intervention phase, more patients received fluids (observation 714/978 [73%] versus intervention 874/1,123 [78%]; 95% CI 0.63, 0.94;p =0.012), hospitalization was reduced (observation 578/978 [59%] versus intervention 548/1,123 [49%]; 95% CI 0.55, 0.79;p <0.001), and admitted patients with severe AKI did not show a significantly lower mortality during follow-up (observation 27/135 [20%] versus intervention 21/178 [11.8%]; 95% CI 0.98, 3.52;p =0.057). Of 504 patients with kidney function assessed during the 6-month follow-up, de novo CKD arose in 79/484 (16.3%), with no difference between the observation and intervention phase (95% CI 0.91, 2.47;p =0.101). Overall mortality was 273/2,101 (13%) and was highest in those who had CKD (24/106; 23%), followed by those with AKD (128/760; 17%), AKI (85/628; 14%), and NKD (36/607; 6%). The main limitation of our study was the inability to determine the actual incidence of kidney dysfunction in the health centers as it was not feasible to screen all the patients due to the high numbers seen daily.Conclusions: This multicenter, non-randomized feasibility study in low-resource settings demonstrates that it is feasible to implement a comprehensive program utilizing POC testing and protocol-based management to improve the recognition and management of AKI and AKD in high-risk patients in primary care.

Epidemiology of acute kidney injury (AKI) is highly dependent on patient characteristics, context and geography. Considering the limited information in Latin America and the Caribbean, we performed a study with the aim to contribute to improve its better understanding. Observational, prospective, longitudinal, multinational cohort study addressed to determine risk factors, clinical profile, process of care and outcomes of AKI in the region. Patients meeting KDIGO AKI definition were included over a 9-month period and designated community or hospital-acquired. De-identified clinical and lab data were entered in a specifically designed on-line platform. Co-variables potentially linked to AKI onset, in-hospital and 90-days mortality, were recorded and correlated using a multiple logistic regression model. Fifty-seven physicians from 15 countries provided data on 905 patients, most with acceptable basic needs coverage. Median age 64 (50–74) yrs; most of them were male (61%) and mestizos (42%). Comorbidities were present in 77%. AKI was community-acquired in 62%. Dehydration, shock and nephrotoxic drugs were the commonest causes. During their process of care, 77% of patients were assessed by nephrologists. Kidney replacement therapy (KRT) was performed in 29% of cases. In-hospital mortality was 26.5% and independently associated to older age, chronic liver disease, hypotension, shock, cardiac disturbances, hospital-acquired sepsis, KRT and mechanical ventilation. At 90-days follow up partial or complete renal recovery was 81% and mortality 24%. AKI was mainly community-acquired, in patients with comorbidities and linked to fluid loss and nephrotoxic drugs. Mortality was high and long-term follow up poor. Notwithstanding, the study shows partially the situation in the participant countries rather than the actual epidemiology of AKI in Latin America and Caribbean, a pending and needed task.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) in cardiac surgery is associated with complications, early and late mortality and increased health care expenditures. The overall dynamic comorbidity-adjusted contributions of an episode of AKI on mortality during long-term follow-up have not been fully explored. A longitudinal cohort of 7075 adult patients admitted for cardiac surgery were enrolled in the study. Follow-up data were obtained through telephonic survey after 1, 5, 10, and 15 years or from the National Mortality Registry. All-cause mortality was assessed at five time intervals: I) 30 days after surgery to 1 year; II) 1 to 3 years; III) 3 to 5 years; IV) 5 to 10 years; and V) 10 to 15 years. For the adjustment of mortality for comorbidity and pre-, intra- and postoperative variables, Cox proportional hazard regression models were conducted within each period. The overall incidence of AKI was 36.1%. AKI was an independent predictor of death only during the first five years after surgery (30 days to 1 year: HR 1.834, 95% CI 1.459 to 2.306; 1 to 3 years: HR 1.285, 95% CI 1.023 to 1.610; and 3 to five years: HR 1.330, 95% CI 1.123 to 1.750). Only age, diabetes mellitus and CHF were associated with increased risk of death over the entire follow-up period. Our study demonstrates a transient association of AKI with long-term mortality that progressively decreases and vanishes five years after surgery. The knowledge of this dynamic is crucial to understanding this complex association, planning health care and allocating resources.