Inflammatory Mediators of Acute Kidney Injury in Intensive Care

Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects more than 50% of patients admitted to the intensive care unit. The most common underlying cause is sepsis. Severe AKI in combination with sepsis is associated with high mortality. The mechanisms for sepsis-induced AKI are largely unknown. Our hypothesis is that the inflammatory response to an infection cause collateral damage to host tissue and contributes to the development of AKI. In this study we want to investigate the presence of novel inflammatory mediators in patients with sepsis, patients subjected to major surgery (sterile inflammation) and non-inflamed patients and correlate their levels with the risk for AKI.