To assess national patterns of pediatric hospitalizations involving acute kidney injury (AKI) and dialysis-requiring AKI (AKI-D) from 1997 to 2022.
Approach:
Study Design: Analysis of the Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) from 1997 to 2022, focusing on AKI and AKI-D cases among hospitalized children.
Key Findings:
Annual cases of AKI rose from 6,318 in 1997 to 63,923 in 2022.
AKI-D cases increased from 981 to 2,075 during the same period.
Hospitalizations complicated by AKI were associated with longer length of stay and higher mortality, with mortality decreasing from 1,814 to 643 per 10,000 between 2003 and 2022.
Increased dialysis utilization was noted, but mortality among children with AKI-D changed little.
Interpretation:
The findings highlight the ongoing vulnerability of patients requiring dialysis.
Limitations:
Administrative data lack clinical granularity.
The study excluded children with end-stage kidney disease or previous kidney transplantation.
Conclusion:
The study indicates an increasing burden of AKI and AKI-D among a medically complex pediatric population.
