Assessment of the diagnostic ability of RIFLE classification and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin biomarker in detecting acute kidney injury in newborns at the intensive care unit

Abstract

Introduction/Objective. This study was designed to demonstrate the association of the RIFLE classification and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in predicting of newborns with acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods. This was a prospective study. We included 100 newborns suspected of having a kidney injury. These newborns were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at the University Clinic of Pediatrics from the period of two years. The severity of the disease was determined by RIFLE classification. The biochemical marker NGAL was included in this study because it is an early biomarker of AKI in newborns. The statistical processing of the material was by methods of descriptive statistics. Results. The prevalence rate of AKI was 6.25%, but according to the RIFLE classification the prevalence was 8.7%. According to RIFLE classification, we reported “risk” in 36%, “injury” in 50% and “failure” in 14% of newborns with AKI. In newborns with perinatal asphyxia, kidney injury was seen in 34% and 30%, making perinatal asphyxia the most common predisposing factor. The difference in average value of the score for neonatal acute physiology with perinatal extension in newborns with AKI and the control group without AKI was confirmed significant (p < 0.001). Also, there was a significant difference (p < 0.001) between serum creatinine and urinary NGAL values, on the day they were admitted to the ICU. Conclusion. In newborns hospitalized in the ICU, AKI is a serious condition. We could identify kidney injury and follow up the progression of the disease by using RIFLE classification. The need for early diagnosis of kidney injury, in a period when the disease is not clinically manifest, in the first hours of its occurrence, is provided by NGAL.

Keywords

• acute kidney injury
• newborns
• rifle classification
• ngal