Acute Kidney Injury
Our Acute Kidney Injury treatment is provided at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead.
Our expert renal medicine (nephrology) team at the Royal Free London Private Patients Unit (PPU) specialise in acute kidney injury (AKI) and rare and complex kidney conditions.
We offer advanced diagnostics and treatment options tailored to your needs, including transplantation. We also have one of the largest dialysis units in the UK, providing all types of dialysis.
Excellent care underpins our world-renowned management of AKI, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and related conditions, so you receive the best possible outcome.
What is acute kidney injury (AKI)?
Acute kidney injury (AKI) describes a sudden decline in kidney function. You may also hear it called kidney failure.
Doctors call it acute because the deterioration in kidney function develops quickly, over days or weeks (vs chronic kidney disease where the decline of kidney function is slow, occurring over months or many years).
AKI symptoms
The initial stages of acute kidney injury are asymptomatic and can only detected on a blood test.ย Symptoms from poor kidney function typically only develop when kidney function is at or below 10% of normal. Early symptoms are non-specific but could include:
- Fluid retention
- Swollen ankles
- A metallic taste
- Reduced urine output
If untreated, this may progress to persistent nausea, vomiting, breathless and confusion.
Contact us Monday to Friday, 8am - 6pm:
Booking line: +44 (0) 20 4502 8783
Causes of AKI
Acute kidney injury can develop as a consequence of a wide range of illnesses.ย Any severe infection can often upset kidney function.
Similarly, severe dehydration e.g. from a diarrhoeal illness can cause a drop in kidney function. This is usually temporary and will recover fully once appropriate treatment has been given.
Occasionally, dialysis is needed on a temporary basis to support the body while kidney function recovers.
Our nephrology team have particular expertise in managing a variety of rare autoimmune diseases that that can cause sudden kidney failure.
Who is at risk of having AKI?
Older people and those who already have impaired kidney function are at increased risk of AKI. Certain diseases such as hypertension or diabetes carry a risk of developing chronic kidney disease. Older men may develop AKI from obstruction of bladder emptying by an enlarging prostate gland.
Complications from AKI
AKI has three stages, from mild to severe. At stage 3, the kidneys have started to collapse.
Stage 3 acute kidney injury is associated with a very high mortality risk if the underlying illness is not appropriately diagnosed and managed.
Can AKI develop into a chronic kidney disease or kidney cancer?
AKI cannot develop into kidney cancer, but it can result in chronic kidney disease.
Around 16% of patients over 65 with severe AKI fail recover to their previous level of kidney function and are left with permanently impaired kidney function (CKD).
Younger people are likely to recover completely if their underlying illness improves.
The main AKI treatments
The primary treatment for acute kidney injury is to treat the underlying cause:
- Antibiotics โ for an infection
- Dialysis โ to support your body while you recover
- Fluids โ to reverse dehydration
- Catheter insertion โ to clear an obstructed bladder
- Immuno-suppressive medicine โ for autoimmune diseases
Most people with AKI will recover. Some patients will need dialysis treatment [Link?] while they wait for their kidney function to improve; and some patients may need long-term dialysis depending on their health condition. This will be discussed by your doctor. Dialysis is usually performed in an outpatient setting.
We provide three types of dialysis:
- Peritoneal dialysis โ daily treatment by the patient at home with minimal support
- Haemodialysis โ treatment in our clinic, usually three times a week
- Haemofiltration โ a slow, gentle form of dialysis for kidney failure, often used in the intensive care unit.
For patients who are fit enough, kidney transplantation [Link?] is the best long term treatment for those whose kidneys have failed.
Aftercare
The Royal Free London is a large tertiary hospital, which means patients with complex or severe conditions can expect specialised, advanced medical care.
We are also one of Londonโs few centres offering all renal replacement therapies under one roof. We draw on multidisciplinary teams within the PPU and broadly from the NHS team so you receive the highest quality care.
Meet our consultants
We work with leading experts who are all supported by the expertise of a multidisciplinary team. Our specialist team of doctors and surgeons includes:
Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead
The Private Patients Unit at the Royal Free Hospital is part of the NHS and is wholly owned by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We offer you access to some of Londonโs most experienced specialists, all of whom work as NHS consultants at our facilities.
Further information and support
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Investing in the NHS
The NHS is an important part of what we do at Royal Free London which is why we reinvest our profits back into it. Our investment provides life-saving equipment and supports medical research to ensure better healthcare for all. Find out how we invest in the NHS.