#1689 Urosepsis and hypovolemia—the main causes of AKI in nursing home residents
Authors: Radulescu Daniela , Cuiban Elena , David Cristiana , Garneata Liliana , Turcu Flavia Liliana , Bogeanu Carmen , Feier Larisa Florina Serban , Stepan Elena , Vacaroiu Ileana Adela 
Published: May 2024

Background and Aims

Nursing home residents are at high risk for acute kidney injury (AKI) due to increased prevalence of comorbidities, prolonged immobilization in bed and altered cognitive function. As our nephrology department is confronted with high addressability of institutionalized adults with kidney impairment, we considered describing the epidemiology of AKI and risk factors for AKI-related mortality in this population.

Method

All adult patients admitted with AKI (KDIGO creatinine-based diagnostic criteria) in our nephrology department during a 6 months period (1st January-30th June 2023) were included in this study. Patients’ data (age, gender, comorbidities) and AKI-related data (causes, need for dialysis recovery of renal function, death) were compared between institutionalized and non-institutionalized patients. Factors associated with increased risk of death in AKI in nursing home residents were also analyzed. All the data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25 (IBM, Corp.); the results were considered significant at P &lt; 0.05.

Results

During the mentioned period a total of 297 patients with AKI were hospitalized: 57 nursing home residents (19.19%) and 240 patients with community-acquired AKI. The nursing-home residents were significantly older, female gender prevailed and history of stroke was significantly higher than in patients with community-acquired AKI (Table 1); no significant differences were found regarding prevalence of diabetes, chronic heart failure or previous chronic kidney disease. Chronic immobilization in bed was present in all institutionalized patients and in 21 patients with community acquired-AKI (8.75%).

Multifactorial AKI, dehydration with hypovolemia and urosepsis were significantly more frequent in nursing-home residents, but there were no differences regarding other causes of AKI (Table 1). Increased prevalence of urosepsis in institutionalized patients was not associated with higher frequency of obstruction of urinary tract.

Compared with community-acquired AKI, ICU admission and evolution with multiple organ failure were significantly more frequent in institutionalized patients with AKI, but there were no significant differences regarding the need for hemodialysis/hemodiafiltration, nor regarding the recovery of renal function in survivors.

Analyzing factors associated with death in nursing home residents, we found that prolonged hospital stay, ICU admission, sepsis and multiorgan failure were associated with increased risk of in-hospital death (Table 2).

Conclusion

AKI in chronic institutionalized patients is mainly caused by dehydration and/or non-obstructive urosepsis, is often multifactorial and it is associated with increased risk of multiorgan failure, ICU admission and death. An early recognition and a better awareness of these risk factors in nursing homes can improve the epidemiology and the outcome of this severe disease.