Renal dysfunction in surgical patients.

Purpose of review: To provide an overview of the current diagnostic criteria for acute kidney injury (AKI) including their limitations and to discuss prevention and treatment approaches in the perioperative setting.

Recent findings: AKI is common in the perioperative period and is associated with worse short- and long-term outcomes. Current definitions of AKI have several limitations and lead to delayed recognition of kidney dysfunction which is why novel diagnostic approaches by using renal biomarkers may be helpful. In general, prevention of the development and progression of AKI is vital as a causal treatment for AKI is currently not available. Optimization of kidney perfusion and avoidance of nephrotoxic drugs reduce the occurrence of AKI in surgical patients. Angiotensin II as a new vasopressor, the use of remote ischemic preconditioning, and amino acids may be approaches with a positive effect on the kidneys.

Summary: Evidence suggests that the implementation of supportive measures in patients at high risk for AKI might reduce the occurrence of AKI. Novel biomarkers can help allocating resources by detecting patients at high risk for AKI.