Postoperative acute kidney injury in major noncardiac surgery. Narrative review

Abstract

Postoperative acute kidney injury is an underdiagnosed condition. Its incidence is variable and depends on demographic, clinical, and surgical stress-associated factors; hence the pathophysiology is multifactorial. It is extremely important to acknowledge those risk factors early and use tools to estimate the risk of developing the condition, in order to adopt perioperative measures to mitigate its occurrence and impact. Some of the complications  resulting from this condition include prolonged ICU stay, higher susceptibility for infections, hospitalization-related complications, progression to acute and chronic kidney failure, and even the need for transient or permanent renal replacement therapies (RRT) in addition to diseases that increase the cardiovascular risk, such as systemic high blood pressure and/or  coronary heart disease that result in increased comorbidities and mortality, with subsequent increases in healthcare costs, lower quality of life and increased burden of the disease in the short and long term. A systematic search of the literature was conducted in PubMed, Google Schoolar, and Lilacs, under the terms MeSh and DeCs using Boolean operators; a review was conducted of the summary of the articles identified and 57 of them were selected for their comprehensive reading. This narrative review summarizes the relevant information on this pathology for prevention and identification purposes, for the adequate management of patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery.