Acute kidney injury in critically-ill adult patients with seasonal influenza infection.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in 22.4 - 100% of critically-ill hospitalized patients with influenza infection. In up to 2/3, it is severe enough to necessitate renal replacement therapy. We aimed to document the incidence of AKI among patients with influenza-related critical illness and its relation to clinical outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of all adult patients with acute respiratory illness and laboratory-confirmed influenza infection admitted to non-surgical intensive care units at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana between January 1, 2016, and March 31, 2016. Result: Our sample consisted of 28 adult patients with mean age in years of 57.5 +/- 20.2. Incidence of AKI was 71.4%. Mortality was 28.6% (35% in patients with AKI and 41.6% in patients who required renal replacement therapy). Conclusions: Influenza-related critical illness is rare but can cause AKI in a large proportion of affected patients. In this setting, requirement for renal replacement therapy could be associated with increased mortality risk.