Association of Oliguria With Acute Kidney Injury Diagnosis, Severity Assessment, and Mortality Among Patients With Critical Illness

The current definition and staging of acute kidney injury (AKI) considers alterations in serum creatinine (sCr) level and urinary output (UO). However, the relevance of oliguria-based criteria is disputed. To determine the contribution of oliguria, as defined by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria, to AKI diagnosis, severity assessment, and short- and long-term outcomes. This cohort study included adult patients admitted to a multidisciplinary intensive care unit from January 1, 2010, to June 15, 2020. Patients receiving long-term dialysis and those who declined consent were excluded. Daily sCr level and hourly UO measurements along with sociodemographic characteristics and severity scores were extracted from electronic medical records. Long-term mortality was assessed by cross-referencing the database with the Swiss national death registry. The onset and severity of AKI according to the KDIGO classification was determined using UO and sCr criteria separately, and their agreement was assessed. Using a multivariable model accounting for baseline characteristics, severity scores, and sCr stages, the association of UO criteria with 90-day mortality was evaluated. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess how missing sCr, body weight, and UO values, as well as different sCr baseline definitions and imputations methods, would affect the main results. Among the 15 620 patients included in the study (10 330 men [66.1%] with a median age of 65 [IQR, 53-75] years, a median Simplified Acute Physiology Score II score of 40.0 [IQR, 30.0-53.0], and a median follow-up of 67.0 [IQR, 34.0-100.0] months), 12 143 (77.7%) fulfilled AKI criteria. Serum creatinine and UO criteria had poor agreement on AKI diagnosis and staging (Cohen weighted κ, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.35-0.37; P