Preventing harm during treatment of acute kidney injury: what do we really know?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects approximately 5% of all hospitalized patients, and its incidence continues to increase. The treatment of AKI involves tremendous financial costs, estimated to exceed $10 billion in the United States annually. Although our understanding of the pathophysiology of AKI has progressed at a tremendous pace, mortality remains high at 50% to 80%, with no improvement during the past several decades. More questions than answers currently exist regarding the optimal dialysis dose, optimal modality, and optimal timing of the initiation of renal replacement therapy in the setting of AKI, making it particularly difficult for the practicing clinician to both optimize treatment and practice cost-effective medicine. This article will review current evidence and concerns regarding these issues and identify areas of future research.