Are Urinary Biomarkers Better Than Acute Kidney Injury Duration for Predicting Readmission?

Given that acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery is a risk factor for readmission, Brown and colleagues sought to determine whether urinary biomarkers were better at predicting readmission within 30 days that duration of AKI during the index admission. Using data from patients enrolled in the Translational Research Investigating Biomarker Endpoints-AKI trial, preoperative and postoperative levels of interleukin-18, neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin, kidney injury molecule-1, liver-fatty-acid-binding protein, cystatin C, microalbumin, creatinine, and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were compared with the total number of days that AKI was present during the initial hospitalization. AKI duration of 3 to 6 days was associated with 30-day readmission or death (adjusted odds ratio, 1.82%; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 - 3.05), while urinary biomarkers had no association with readmission and death.