Acute Kidney Injury & Causes
This is the most common cause of acute kidney injury in neonates.
What is pre-renal (hypovolemia or poor perfusion)?
This electrolyte abnormality, often seen in renal impairment, can cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
What is hyperkalemia?
This renal malformation, detected on prenatal ultrasound, involves cysts replacing normal kidney tissue and usually affects only one kidney.
What is multicystic dysplastic kidney?
This hormone, produced by the pancreas, lowers blood sugar levels.
What is insulin?
This screening test is performed on all newborns to check for thyroid hormone deficiency.
What is newborn TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) screening?
Acute kidney injury can be diagnosed if this laboratory value rises above 1.0 mg/dL in a neonate.
What is serum creatinine?
Hyponatremia is diagnosed when the serum sodium falls below this value (in mmol/L or mEq/L).
What is 135 mmol/L (or 135 mEq/L)?
This condition is caused by backward flow of urine from bladder to kidneys and increases risk of infection.
What is vesicoureteral reflux?
Infants of diabetic mothers are at increased risk for this metabolic disturbance shortly after birth.
What is hypoglycemia?
This endocrine disorder causes salt-wasting crises and ambiguous genitalia, and is included in newborn screening.
What is congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)?
This medication, commonly used in the NICU, can cause intrinsic renal injury (nephrotoxicity) in neonates.
What is gentamicin (or amphotericin, vancomycin)?
This electrolyte is often low in preterm infants and is essential for muscle contraction and bone development.
What is calcium (hypocalcemia)?
Absence of one or both kidneys seen on prenatal imaging is called this.
What is renal agenesis?
Persistent hypoglycemia unresponsive to glucose may be caused by this endocrine disorder.
What is congenital hyperinsulinism (or persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia)?
This hormone, produced by the adrenal cortex, helps regulate sodium and water balance in neonates.
What is aldosterone?
This post-renal cause of AKI is often diagnosed with ultrasound in term babies presenting with anuria.
What is urinary tract obstruction (or posterior urethral valves)?
This acid-base abnormality is typically seen in neonates with severe renal dysfunction.
What is metabolic acidosis?
This inherited disorder involves multiple cysts in both kidneys and may present with hypertension in neonates.
What is polycystic kidney disease?
This serious complication of neonatal hypoglycemia, especially if prolonged or recurrent, affects the brain and can lead to long-term neurological impairment.
What is seizure (or cerebral injury/neurological damage)?
Delayed closure of the anterior fontanelle and poor feeding in a neonate may indicate this endocrine disorder.
What is congenital hypothyroidism?
The most definitive treatment for severe neonatal AKI with fluid overload and metabolic derangements.
What is dialysis (peritoneal dialysis)?
This electrolyte must be corrected slowly to prevent central pontine myelinolysis.
What is sodium (hyponatremia)?
This is the most common cause of obstruction in male neonates leading to hydronephrosis.
What are posterior urethral valves?
Preterm neonates may develop this metabolic abnormality if total parenteral nutrition is excessive.
What is hyperglycemia?
This hormone, released from the pituitary, stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.
What is adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)?