Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious and as yet incompletely understood disorder in which sudden impairment of kidney function occurs secondary to one or more of a variety of underlying conditions. This disorder is very common in (elderly) ICU patients and is associated with very high mortality. Many of those who survive suffer from permanent kidney failure and other long-term morbidities, which may include cardiovascular disease and immune dysfunction. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that AKI is not a single disease, but a syndrome comprised of multiple, often coexisting, etiologies. Being usually part of multiorgan failure syndrome, it calls for multiple organ support therapy. The publication at hand contains sections on prerenal azotemia syndromes, dying 'of' or 'with' AKI, pathophysiology of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury, developments in prevention / treatment / rehabilitation, and renal support. Reporting the latest recommendations from experts, it provides valuable information for those that are interested in understanding the disorder and its treatment options.

A compendium of consensus papers, guidelines and research summaries Associated with both acute kidney injury (AKI) and cardio-renal syndromes (CRS), new biomarkers represent both a popular area of investigation and a new opportunity for advancement of therapy. This book contains the resolutions of the most recent ADQI conferences on biomarkers in AKI (Dublin) and on cardio-renal syndromes (Venice). The first part answers specific questions about new biomarkers and their use and utility in AKI: What are the most suitable candidate molecules and physiologic measures, how solid and evidence based is the discovery phase? How can we incorporate the new biomarkers in the AKI conceptual model describing the evolution from susceptibility to insult, decreased GFR and organ death? Even if we have a positive biomarker pattern and we can identify patients at risk or patients with early or even subclinical AKI, how is this information affecting our clinical behavior and practice? The second part is dedicated to the appraisal of the current knowledge about the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in different forms of CRS: it contains contributions on the state-of-the-art knowledge and practice of CRS, particularly focusing on the pathophysiology of the five subtypes. Acute and chronic mechanisms of damage are explored in depth, with particular attention to the primacy of organ involvement and the subsequent pathways of organ crosstalk. Presenting the most recent research in the field of biomarkers, AKI and CRS, this publication is an important educational tool for advanced investigators and clinical experts, but also for students and fellows.

The volumes in this series are published annually on the occasion of the International Conference on Dialysis organized by the Renal Research Institute, New York, in cooperation with the ISN, ISPD, NKF and RPA. Among the topics discussed in the current issue are recent developments in dialysis, dialysate and vascular access; vasopressin receptor antagonists in heart failure; the interaction between aldosterone and the extracellular fluid volume in CKD; the management of cardiac disease in the dialysis patient; the cardiorenal syndrome; the use of bioimpedance for volume control in CKD; internal filtration hemodialysis; reduction of hepatitis C viral load by extracorporeal therapy; measurement and significance of bacterial DNA in water and dialysate; temporal evolution of events pre-death in dialysis patients; prenatal causes of kidney disease; current approaches to the critically ill; and lipid metabolism in CKD and its practical implications. Identifying relevant controversial issues as well as areas of recent progress with regard to disease processes or treatment, this publication is a helpful reference tool for both clinicians and basic investigators involved in CKD.