Patterns of acute kidney and hepatic injury and association with adverse outcomes in infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy.

OBJECTIVE

To describe patterns of renal and hepatic injury in infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort of infants receiving therapeutic hypothermia for HIE was classified into groups based on organ injury: neither acute kidney injury (AKI) nor acute hepatic injury (AHI), isolated AKI, isolated AHI, or both AKI/AHI. Biomarkers and outcomes were described and analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 188 infants, 55% had no AKI nor AHI, 7% had only AKI, 22% had only AHI and 16% had both AKI and AHI. Infants with both AKI/AHI had the highest mortality (47%) and worse outcomes, compared to other injury groups, although AKI/AHI was not significantly associated with mortality (hazard ratio 2.5; 95% CI 0.9-6.9), after accounting for severity of HIE. For surviving infants, biomarkers of organ injury, on average, normalized by discharge.

CONCLUSION

Infants with HIE with both AKI/AHI have worse outcomes than infants with AKI or AHI alone.