Acute kidney injury is a common sequela after major burn injury, but only a small proportion of patients need renal replacement therapy. In the majority of patients, need for renal replacement therapy subsides before discharge from the burn centre but limited literature exists on long-term outcomes. A few studies report an increased risk for chronic renal failure after burn injury. We investigated the long-term outcome of severely burned patients receiving renal replacement therapy during acute burn injury treatment.
Data on 68 severely burned patients that received renal replacement therapy in Helsinki Burn Centre between November 1988 and December 2015 were collected retrospectively. 32 patients survived and remained for follow-up after the primary hospital stay until 31st December 2016.
56.3% of discharged patients were alive at the end of follow-up. In 81.3% of discharged patients, need for renal replacement therapy subsided before discharge. Two patients received renal replacement therapy for longer than three months, however, need for renal replacement therapy subsided in both patients. One patient required dialysis several years later on after the need for renal replacement therapy had subsided.
This study showed that long-term need for renal replacement therapy is rare after severe burn injury. In the vast majority of patients, need for renal replacement therapy subsided before discharge from primary care. Acute kidney injury in association with burns is a potential but small risk factor for later worsening of kidney function in fragile individuals.
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