Outpatient clinic visits with a nephrologist associated with lower risk of mortality in patients with acute kidney injury

Outpatient clinic visits with a nephrologist and attention to kidney complications and cardiovascular disease were associated with 29% lower risk of mortality compared to standard of care in patients with AKI during recent hospitalization.

Survivors of acute kidney injury (AKI) are a high-risk population, but many gaps exist in follow-up care. At a tertiary-care hospital, patients seen by the nephrology inpatient service with moderate to severe AKI are referred at discharge to an AKI follow-up clinic where they receive a standardized assessment that emphasizes management of cardiovascular risk and kidney complications. Researchers compared outcomes among patients who attended the AKI follow-up clinic to similar patients who received standard care.

While attendance at the AKI follow-up clinic was not associated with less dialysis or kidney disease, it was associated with lower mortality and more prescriptions for some cardioprotective medications. These findings, recently published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD), illustrate potential benefits of an AKI follow-up clinic, requiring confirmation in randomized trials.