Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been characterized in high-risk pediatric hospital inpatients, in whom AKI is frequent and associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and length of stay. ...The incidence of AKI among patients not requiring intensive care is unknown. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting & Participants 13,914 noncritical admissions during 2011 and 2012 at our tertiary referral pediatric hospital were evaluated. Patients younger than 28 days or older than 21 years of age or with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were excluded. Admissions with 2 or more serum creatinine measurements were evaluated. Factors Demographic features, laboratory measurements, medication exposures, and length of stay. Outcome AKI defined as increased serum creatinine level in accordance with KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria. Based on time of admission, time interval requirements were met in 97% of cases, but KDIGO time window criteria were not strictly enforced to allow implementation using clinically obtained data. Results 2 or more creatinine measurements (one baseline before or during admission and a second during admission) in 2,374 of 13,914 (17%) patients allowed for AKI evaluation. A serum creatinine difference ≥0.3 mg/dL or ≥1.5 times baseline was seen in 722 of 2,374 (30%) patients. A minimum of 5% of all noncritical inpatients without CKD in pediatric wards have an episode of AKI during routine hospital admission. Limitations Urine output, glomerular filtration rate, and time interval criteria for AKI were not applied secondary to study design and available data. The evaluated cohort was restricted to patients with 2 or more clinically obtained serum creatinine measurements, and baseline creatinine level may have been measured after the AKI episode. Conclusions AKI occurs in at least 5% of all noncritically ill hospitalized children, adolescents, and young adults without known CKD. Physicians should increase their awareness of AKI and improve surveillance strategies with serum creatinine measurements in this population so that exacerbating factors such as nephrotoxic medication exposures may be modified as indicated.
Summary Background Molybdenum cofactor deficiency (MoCD) is characterised by early, rapidly progressive postnatal encephalopathy and intractable seizures, leading to severe disability and early ...death. Previous treatment attempts have been unsuccessful. After a pioneering single treatment we now report the outcome of the complete first cohort of patients receiving substitution treatment with cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate (cPMP), a biosynthetic precursor of the cofactor. Methods In this observational prospective cohort study, newborn babies with clinical and biochemical evidence of MoCD were admitted to a compassionate-use programme at the request of their treating physicians. Intravenous cPMP (80–320 μg/kg per day) was started in neonates diagnosed with MoCD (type A and type B) following a standardised protocol. We prospectively monitored safety and efficacy in all patients exposed to cPMP. Findings Between June 6, 2008, and Jan 9, 2013, intravenous cPMP was started in 16 neonates diagnosed with MoCD (11 type A and five type B) and continued in eight type A patients for up to 5 years. We observed no drug-related serious adverse events after more than 6000 doses. The disease biomarkers urinary S-sulphocysteine, xanthine, and urate returned to almost normal concentrations in all type A patients within 2 days, and remained normal for up to 5 years on continued cPMP substitution. Eight patients with type A disease rapidly improved under treatment and convulsions were either completely suppressed or substantially reduced. Three patients treated early remain seizure free and show near-normal long-term development. We detected no biochemical or clinical response in patients with type B disease. Interpretation cPMP substitution is the first effective therapy for patients with MoCD type A and has a favourable safety profile. Restoration of molybdenum cofactor-dependent enzyme activities results in a greatly improved neurodevelopmental outcome when started sufficiently early. The possibility of MoCD type A needs to be urgently explored in every encephalopathic neonate to avoid any delay in appropriate cPMP substitution, and to maximise treatment benefit. Funding German Ministry of Education and Research; Orphatec/Colbourne Pharmaceuticals.