Acute Kidney Injury

This chapter emphasises the vital role the nurse plays in the prevention of progression to acute kidney injury (AKI) and of the delivery of care for the patient in AKI. In this central role the nurse can maintain close links with the patient's family, which can be instrumental to a family‐centred approach to the patient's treatment. AKI may be divided into three major categories, in which each category has a physiological location of the insult: prerenal, renal, and postrenal. An acute impairment may also present in the patient with existing chronic kidney disease, which may lead to further structural damage; this presentation is often referred to as acute‐on‐chronic renal failure and evidence would indicate that this is an increasing group. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends performing urine dipstick testing for blood, protein, leucocytes, nitrites, and glucose in any patient in whom AKI is suspected as soon as possible.