Does Age Have an Effect on Outcome in Critically Ill Patients with Acute Kidney Injury?

Abstract

Objectives: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a clinical condition that is frequently encountered during admission to an intensive care unit (ICU). The aim was to answer the question of whether critically ill elderly patients with AKI who were admitted to ICU had a higher mortality than younger patients with AKI. Materials and Methods: All patients admitted to ICU were screened for the presence of AKI for one year. These patients were divided into two groups depending on their age: Patients <80 years old and patients ≥80 years old. Groups were compared in terms of their characteristics, need for renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality, and the factors that might affect these outcomes. Results: A total of 305 patients were screened: 92 (30%) patients had AKI and were eligible for the study. Of these, 44 (48%) were <80 years and 48 (52%) were ≥80 years. The two groups were similar when disease severity and expected mortality rates were compared using APACHE II scores. Of patients <80 years, 19 (43%) underwent RRT and this was higher than observed in the elderly (p=0.001). However, there was no difference between the groups in terms of ICU mortality (p=0.63). Conclusion: ICU mortality may not be as high as expected in the presence of acute renal injury in elderly critically ill patients.

Keywords

• elderly
• AKII
• RRT

References

1. Talan, L., & Altıntaş, N. D. (2021). Does age have an effect on outcome in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury?. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Mecmuası, 74(Suppl 1), 77-81. DOI: 10.4274/atfm.galenos.2021.96720