Acute Kidney Injury and Japanese Intensive Care

Acute kidney injury（AKI）is a clinically important and relatively common complication of illness leading to hospital admission and critical illness^1）. Depending on the studies, populations investigated and definitions, it appears to occur in more than 60％ of patients admitted to hospital and in up to 67％ of patients admitted to ICU^2）. Its development is associated with an independent increase in the risk of death which becomes greater with increasing illness severity^{3, 4）}. When severe it requires the application of renal replacement therapy^4）, which adds cost to patient care, is invasive and labor-intensive. Clearly there is a pressing need for a better understanding of its pathogenesis and better treatments.