Acute kidney injury in critically ill cirrhotic patients: a review.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important marker of morbidity and mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients. The most common causes of AKI in cirrhotic patients include prerenal or hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Diagnosis of AKI may be delayed by the lack of clinical, biochemical, and radiological markers with proven sensitivity and specificity in cirrhotic patients. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and therapies for AKI in cirrhotic patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU).