BACKGROUND/AIMS: A revised classification system for renal dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis was proposed by the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative and the International Ascites Club Working Group in 2011. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of renal dysfunction according to the criteria in this proposal. METHODS: The medical records of cirrhotic patients who were admitted to Konkuk University Hospital between 2006 and 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. The data obtained at first admission were collected. Acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) were defined using the proposed diagnostic criteria of kidney dysfunction in cirrhosis. RESULTS: Six hundred and forty-three patients were admitted, of whom 190 (29.5%), 273 (42.5%), and 180 (28.0%) were Child-Pugh class A, B, and C, respectively. Eighty-three patients (12.9%) were diagnosed with AKI, the most common cause for which was dehydration (30 patients). Three patients had hepatorenal syndrome type 1 and 26 patients had prerenal-type AKI caused by volume deficiency after variceal bleeding. In addition, 22 patients (3.4%) were diagnosed with CKD, 1 patient with hepatorenal syndrome type 2, and 3 patients (0.5%) with AKI on CKD. CONCLUSIONS: Both AKI and CKD are common among hospitalized cirrhotic patients, and often occur simultaneously (16.8%). The most common type of renal dysfunction was AKI (12.9%). Diagnosis of type 2 hepatorenal syndrome remains difficult. A prospective cohort study is warranted to evaluate the clinical course in cirrhotic patients with renal dysfunction.
Acute Kidney Injury/*epidemiology/etiology/mortality ; Adult ; Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/*epidemiology/etiology/mortality ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications/*diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Survival Rate

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of acute hepatitis A during a recent outbreak in Korea. Data of patients diagnosed with acute hepatitis A from 2007 to 2009 were collected from 21 tertiary hospitals retrospectively. Their demographic, clinical, and serological characteristics and their clinical outcomes were analyzed. A total of 4,218 patients (mean age 33.3 yr) were included. The median duration of admission was 9 days. The mean of the highest ALT level was 2,963 IU/L, total bilirubin was 7.3 mg/dL, prothrombin time INR was 1.3. HBsAg was positive in 3.7%, and anti-HCV positive in 0.7%. Renal insufficiency occurred in 2.7%, hepatic failure in 0.9%, relapsing hepatitis in 0.7%, and cholestatic hepatitis in 1.9% of the patients. Nineteen patients (0.45%) died or were transplanted. Complications of renal failure or prolonged cholestasis were more frequent in patients older than 30 yr. In conclusion, most patients with acute hepatitis A recover uneventfully, however, complication rates are higher in patients older than 30 yr than younger patients. Preventive strategies including universal vaccination in infants and active immunization of hepatitis A to adult population should be considered for prevention of community-wide outbreaks of hepatitis A in Korea.
Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cholestasis/epidemiology/etiology ; Demography ; Hepatitis A/complications/*diagnosis/mortality ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/epidemiology/etiology ; Liver Transplantation ; Middle Aged ; Morbidity ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Young Adult

Sclerosing peritonitis is an uncommon complication of peritoneal dialysis. It is characterized by peritoneal fibrosis and sclerosis. The most common clinical presentations of sclerosing peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients are ultrafiltration failure and small bowel obstruction. The prognosis and response to immunosuppressive therapy of sclerosing peritonitis presenting with ultrafiltration failure or small bowel obstruction are poor. Here, we describe the case of a 28-yr-old man with end-stage renal disease on peritoneal dialysis showing fulminant sclerosing peritonitis presented like acute culture-negative peritonitis and was successfully treated with corticosteroid therapy. It is not well recognized that sclerosing peritonitis may present in this way. The correct diagnosis and corticosteroid therapy may be life-saving in a fulminant form of sclerosing peritonitis.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/therapy ; Male ; Peritoneal Dialysis/adverse effects ; Peritonitis/*diagnosis/drug therapy/etiology ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Sclerosis ; Staphylococcus epidermidis/isolation & purification ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Ultrasound-guided cannulation of a large-bore catheter into the internal jugular vein was performed to provide temporary hemodialysis vascular access for uremia in a 65-yr-old woman with acute renal failure and sepsis superimposed on chronic renal failure. Despite the absence of any clinical evidence such as bleeding or hematoma during the procedure, a chest x-ray and computed tomographic angiogram of the neck showed that the catheter had inadvertently been inserted into the subclavian artery. Without immediately removing the catheter and applying manual external compression, the arterial misplacement of the hemodialysis catheter was successfully managed by open surgical repair. The present case suggests that attention needs to be paid to preventing iatrogenic arterial cannulation during central vein catheterization with a large-bore catheter and to the management of its potentially devastating complications, since central vein catheterization is frequently performed by nephrologists as a common clinical procedure to provide temporary hemodialysis vascular access.
Acidosis/complications ; Acute Disease ; Aged ; Catheterization, Central Venous/*adverse effects ; Female ; Hemorrhage/etiology ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/*diagnosis ; Medical Errors/*prevention & control ; Oliguria/complications ; Renal Dialysis ; Sepsis/etiology ; Subclavian Artery/injuries/*radiography/surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Uremia/etiology

Acute Kidney Injury ; etiology ; pathology ; therapy ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Anticoagulants ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Consensus ; Female ; Hemofiltration ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Infant ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric ; Male ; Multiple Organ Failure ; etiology ; pathology ; therapy ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Sepsis ; complications ; pathology ; therapy ; Severity of Illness Index

Changes in renal function are one of the most common manifestations of severe illness. There is a clinical need to intervene early with proven treatments in patients with potentially deleterious changes in renal function. Unfortunately progress has been hindered by poor definitions of renal dysfunction and a lack of early biomarkers of renal injury. In recent years, the definitional problem has been addressed with the establishment of a new well-defined diagnostic entity, acute kidney injury (AKI), which encompasses the wide spectrum of kidney dysfunction, together with clearer definition and sub-classification of the cardio-renal syndromes. From the laboratory have emerged new biomarkers which allow early detection of AKI, including neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and cystatin C. This review describes the new concepts of AKI and the cardio-renal syndromes as well as novel biomarkers which allow early detection of AKI. Panels of AKI biomarker tests are likely to revolutionise the diagnosis and management of critically ill patients in the coming years. Earlier diagnosis and intervention should significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with acute kidney damage.
Acute Kidney Injury/*diagnosis ; Biological Markers/analysis/blood/urine ; Cystatin C/blood/urine ; Heart Failure/complications/etiology ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases/complications/*diagnosis/etiology ; Lipocalins/blood/urine ; Syndrome

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare condition in which rapid deterioration of liver function results in altered mentation and coagulopathy in individuals without previously recognized liver disease. The outcomes of patients with ALF vary greatly according to etiology, and the etiology of ALF varies markedly by geographical region. In Korea, about 90% of ALF are associated with etiologies that usually result in poor outcomes, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and herbal remedies. The main causes of death in patients with ALF are increased intracranial pressure, systemic infection, and multi-organ failure. Recent advances in the intensive care of patients with ALF have contributed to a marked improvement in their overall survival. Emergency adult to adult living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) can be performed expeditiously and safely for patients with ALF, and greatly improves survival rate as well as deceased-donor transplantation. As the window during which transplantation is possible is limited, emergency adult LDLT should be considered to be one of the first-line treatment options in patients with ALF, especially in regions in which ALFs are caused by etiologies associated with poor outcome and the supply of organs is very limited.
Drug-Induced Liver Injury/complications ; Hepatitis B/complications ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Acute/etiology ; Liver Failure, Acute/*etiology/mortality/therapy ; Liver Transplantation ; Prognosis ; Republic of Korea ; Respiration Disorders/etiology ; Survival Rate

Acute viral hepatitis A has recently become a major public health problem in Korea, and the incidence of symptomatic hepatitis A is growing rapidly. With improvements in socioeconomic conditions and environmental hygiene, the chances of exposure to hepatitis A virus (HAV) during childhood have decreased and, in turn, the proportion of young adults with positive anti-HAV has significantly decreased. This has led to the incidence of symptomatic acute hepatitis A increasing since the late 1990s. The incidence of serious complications including fulminant hepatic failure and acute kidney injury has also showed an increasing trend. Variation of the genotype of virus isolated from recent hepatitis A patients suggests an inflow of the hepatitis virus from other countries. In this review article, we present the situation and epidemiology of hepatitis A in Korea, and recommend further investigation and policies for vaccination on a national level.
Acute Disease ; Genotype ; Hepatitis A/complications/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Hepatitis A Antibodies/analysis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney Failure, Acute/etiology ; Liver Failure, Acute/etiology ; Vaccines, Inactivated/pharmacology

Hepatitis A is generally known as a mild, self-limiting disease of the liver, but in rare instances it can progress to fulminant hepatitis, which may require liver transplantation for recovery. Such cases are known to be related to old age and underlying liver disease. We report four cases of hepatitis A in which patients presented with fulminant hepatitis and acute renal failure and underwent liver transplantation. The following common features were observed in our cases: (1) occurrence in relatively old age (> or =39 years old), (2) association with acute renal failure, (3) presence of hepatomegaly, and (4) microscopic features of submassive hepatic necrosis.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Female ; Hepatitis/complications/*diagnosis/therapy ; Hepatitis A/complications/*diagnosis ; Hepatomegaly/diagnosis/etiology ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Acute/complications/*diagnosis ; Liver/pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis/diagnosis/etiology ; *Liver Transplantation ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Salmonella infection can cause an asymptomatic intestinal carrier state or clinical diseases such as enterocolitis presenting abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Salmonella usually invades Peyer's patch of terminal ileum or ascending colon. Sepsis is not common and acute renal failure secondary to rhabdomyolysis is rare. The causes of rhabdomyolysis are trauma, excessive exercise, alcohol, seizure, metabolic abnormality, and infection. Infections account for less than 5% of the reported causes of rhabdomyolysis and resulting acute renal failure. The mechanisms underlying rhabdomyolysis due to infection are direct muscle invasion, toxin production, and nonspecific effects that can occur with infections such as fever, dehydration, acidosis, and electrolyte imbalance. We report a case of sepsis and acute renal failure secondary to rhabdomyolysis associated with Salmonella infection.
Colonoscopy ; Enterocolitis/complications/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Acute/*diagnosis/etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rhabdomyolysis/diagnosis/etiology/microbiology ; Salmonella Infections/complications/*diagnosis ; Sepsis/*diagnosis/etiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed