Kidney replacement therapy in COVID-19-Related acute kidney injury: The impact of timing on mortality

PLoS One. 2024 Oct 24;19(10):e0309655. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309655. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the timing of KRT, dichotomized by a temporal criterion or by creatinine level, in patients with COVID-19-related AKI. This was a retrospective study involving 512 adult patients admitted to the ICU. All participants had laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and a confirmed diagnosis of AKI. The potential predictors were the determination of the timing of KRT based on a temporal criterion (days since hospital admission) and that based on a serum creatinine cutoff criterion. Covariates included age, sex, and the SOFA score, as well as the need for mechanical ventilation and vasopressors. The main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality. We evaluated 512 patients, of whom 69.1% were men. The median age was 64 years. Of the 512 patients, 76.6% required dialysis after admission. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 72.5%. When the timing of KRT was determined by the temporal criterion, the risk of in-hospital mortality was significantly higher for later KRT than for earlier KRT-84% higher in the univariate analysis (OR = 1.84, 95%, [CI]: 1.10-3.09) and 140% higher after adjustment for age, sex, and SOFA score (OR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.36-4.24). When it was determined by the creatinine cutoff criterion, there was no such difference between high and low creatinine at KRT initiation. In patients with COVID-19-related AKI, earlier KRT might be associated with lower in-hospital mortality.

MeSH terms

  • Acute Kidney Injury* / etiology
  • Acute Kidney Injury* / mortality
  • Acute Kidney Injury* / therapy
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • COVID-19* / complications
  • COVID-19* / mortality
  • COVID-19* / therapy
  • Creatinine / blood
  • Female
  • Hospital Mortality*
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Renal Replacement Therapy*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • SARS-CoV-2 / isolation & purification
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Creatinine

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, São Paulo Research Foundation; Grant no. 2020/06583-1). L. Andrade is the recipient of a grant from the Brazilian Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development; Grant no. 309683/2021-1).