Acute Kidney Injury
Renal · ~5% of blueprint- Pathophysiology
- Abrupt ↓ GFR — prerenal (hypoperfusion), intrinsic (e.g., ATN), or postrenal (obstruction).
- Signs & Symptoms
- Often detected only by rising creatinine; ↓ urine output may be the earliest sign; edema; uremia if severe.
- Gold Standard Diagnosis
- Rising creatinine / ↓ urine output (KDIGO); urine studies & FENa to localize the cause.
- First-line Treatment
- Treat the cause; optimize volume/perfusion, stop nephrotoxins; dialysis for refractory complications.
High-Yield Pearl
FENa <1% suggests prerenal; >2% suggests ATN; dialyze for refractory K+, volume or uremia.
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Gross Anatomy
Physiology
Sources
Reviewed September 2026- KDIGO Clinical Practice Guideline for Acute Kidney Injury — KDIGO, 2012
- StatPearls: Acute Kidney Injury — StatPearls Publishing (NCBI Bookshelf), 2024
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