Cross-sectional survey on adult acute kidney injury in Chinese ICU: the study protocol (CARE-AKI)

INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most serious syndromes in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and is a mysterious problem in clinical practice worldwide. Due to unknown aetiology and mechanism, awareness of AKI diagnosis and treatment in China varies, resulting in underestimated incidence and poor prognosis. To solve this problem, we design this national survey of AKI in adult ICUs. Various indexes are included and analysed to classify the epidemiology of adult AKI in Chinese ICUs, including AKI aetiology, risk factors, mortality, prognosis, therapeutic strategies and cognition of ICU medical staff. METHODS: A multicentre, cross-sectional survey, which will involve about 35 hospitals and 6147 patients from 23 provinces, 4 municipalities and 5 autonomous regions, is planned. All patients who meet the inclusion criteria are eligible to apply for enrolment in the study, which cover baseline demographics, clinical performance, and follow-up related to diagnosis and treatment. CONCLUSION: The study is expected to fill the gap between China and developed countries, and to provide a theoretical foundation for developing more scientific and standardised approaches to AKI diagnosis and treatment. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital (registration number KY2017-21). The findings of this review will be communicated through peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR-EOC-17013133; Pre-results.