Impact of acute kidney injury on long-term adverse outcomes in obstructive uropathy

Obstructive uropathy is known to be associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). This study aimed to investigate the etiologies, clinical characteristics, consequences and also assess the impact of AKI on long-term outcomes. This multicenter, retrospective study of 1683 patients with obstructive uropathy who underwent percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) analyzed clinical characteristics, outcomes including progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), overall mortality, and the impact of AKI on long-term outcomes. Obstructive uropathy in adults was most commonly caused by malignancy, urolithiasis, and other causes. AKI was present in 78% of the patients and was independently associated with preexisting chronic kidney disease (CKD). Short-term recovery was achieved in 56.78% after the relief of obstruction. ESKD progression rate was 4.4% in urolithiasis and 6.8% in other causes and older age, preexisting CKD, and stage 3 AKI were independent factors of progression. The mortality rate (34%) was highly attributed to malignant obstruction (52%) stage 3 AKI was also an independent predictor of mortality in non-malignant obstruction. AKI is a frequent complication of adult obstructive uropathy. AKI negatively affects long-term kidney outcomes and survival in non-malignant obstructions. A better understanding of the epidemiology and prognostic factors is needed for adult obstructive uropathy.