UNAIR NEWS – Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a common problem that significantly increases sufferers’ morbidity and mortality (mortality). AKI can affect anyone, especially critically ill patients, including children.
Patients who experience critical illness have a high risk of developing AKI. Generally, this case mostly caused by many factors. Besides, AKI can develop into kidney failure. The patients have a higher mortality rate compared to non-AKI patients.
Therefore, kidney disorder needs to be known as early as possible before it becomes more severe and widespread. So that medical treatment can be done quickly and precisely.
Through his research, Dr. dr. Risky Vitria Prasetyo, Sp. A (K) explained Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction (PELOD) score could correlate well with the incidence of AKI in children who experience critical illness. PELOD score is a popular measurement tool that is already available and commonly used for the assessment of organ dysfunction when entering the ICU. However, it has not been used explicitly in AKI.
Illustration by Klikdokter
“Scoring for early detection of AKI does not yet exist. AKI must be dealt with before it gets worse. So we try to investigate, and the data in PELOD Score that we connect with AKI can be used as a predictor of AKI for children, “he explained.
Through PELOD score, AKI for children who experience critical illness can be identified early. Even so, it does not directly diagnose the symptoms in patients is AKI.
“Urine monitoring is also carried out on patients; kidney function will also be examined, then factors related to kidney function such as electrolytes and acid bases must be checked in the laboratory. So, there will be no errors,” he explained.
Previously, efforts to detect AKI in children who were critically ill were carried out through blood tests. If there is an increase in serum creatinine concentration and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) together with a decrease in urine production, it means kidney function decreases.
However, there is a possibility that an increase in creatinine and BUN will only occur when AKI in the patient has attacked more than 50%. So creatinine and BUN are late predictors.
“The new creatinine and BUN increased significantly if the damage in the kidneys was 50% more. If that is the case, the possibility to recover 50:50, “he continued.
If it can be known earlier, the patient can be treated more quickly. So, the damage on kidneys will not become more widespread because the kidney is one of the slow-regenerating organs in the body.
“Kidneys regenerate very slowly, and there is no regeneration system. So the wound is hard to cure,” he added.
Dr Risky said if PELOD score is used correctly and carefully in the scoring, AKI can be known earlier so it can be treated early. (*)
Author: Erika Eight Novanty
Editor : Khefti Al Mawalia
Reference : Prasetyo RV, Saraswati PD, Kurniawan MR, Kushartono H, Soemyarso NA, Azis AL, Noer MS. 2016. The Use of PELOD Score in Predicting Acute Kidney Injury in Critically ill Children. J Nepal Paediatr Soc 36(2):165-169.
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