Urinary biomarkers as indicators of acute kidney injury in critically ill children exposed to vancomycin

Study Objective The standard of care for detecting acute kidney injury (AKI) is change in serum creatinine (SCr) and urine output, which are limited. This study aimed to compare urinary biomarkers neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (uNGAL) with kidney injury molecule‐1 (uKIM‐1) in critically ill children exposed to vancomycin who did and did not develop AKI as defined by changes in SCr. Design Single‐center, prospective, clinical, observational cohort study. Setting Tertiary care children’s hospital in an urban setting. Patients Children aged 0 (corrected gestational age 42 weeks) to 18 years admitted to the intensive care unit who received vancomycin were included. Intervention None. Measurements The primary outcome was mean change in uNGAL and uKIM‐1 between AKI and no‐AKI groups. AKI was defined as a minimum 50% increase in SCr from baseline over a 48 h period, within 7 days of first vancomycin exposure. Three urine samples were collected: baseline (between 0 and 6 h of first vancomycin dose), second (18–24 h after the “baseline”), and third (18–24 h after the second sample). Concentrations of uKIM‐1 and uNGAL were measured in each sample. Main Results Forty‐eight children (52% male; median age 6 years) were included. Eight (16.7%) children developed AKI. Mean changes in uNGAL (713.196 ± 1,216,474 vs. 16.101 ± 37.812 pg/mL; p = 0.0004) and uKIM‐1 (6060 ± 11.165 vs. 340 ± 542 pg/mL; p = 0.0015) were greater in children with AKI versus no‐AKI, respectively. Conclusions uNGAL and uKIM‐1 concentrations increased significantly more in critically ill children with AKI compared with those with no‐AKI during the first 48–72 h of vancomycin exposure and may be useful as prospective biomarkers of AKI.