Renal Trajectory Patterns Are Associated With Postdischarge Mortality in Patients With Cirrhosis and Acute Kidney Injury

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Little is known about long-term outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with cirrhosis. Outcomes can vary with stage of AKI, chronic kidney disease, and trajectory of renal function. METHODS: We collected data from the Department of Veterans Affairs and identified 6917 patients with cirrhosis who developed AKI during hospitalization at any of its 127 hospitals, from 2004 through 2014. We used latent class analysis of serial creatinine measurements during the index hospitalization to determine trajectories of renal function. RESULTS: Overall, 32% of patients died within 90 days of discharge from the hospital and 48% of patients died within 1 year. We identified 5 distinct in-hospital renal trajectories: mild AKI with full improvement (24.8% of patients died 90 within days), severe AKI with rapid improvement (24.7% of patients died within 90 days), moderate AKI with partial improvement (33.7% of patients died within 90 days), moderate to severe AKI with partial improvement (42.0% of patients died within 90 days), and severe AKI with minimal improvement (48.0% of patients died within 90 days). Trajectories were associated significantly with mortality within 90 days and 1 year of mortality. Patients with severe AKI with minimal improvement had the highest risk of death within 90 days (adjusted odds ratio, 3.08; 95% CI, 2.54-3.72) and within 1 year (adjusted odds ratio, 2.71; 95% CI, 2.25-3.27) compared with patients with mild AKI with full improvement. The highest 90-day postdischarge mortality (65.2%) was observed in patients with normal or near-normal prehospitalization renal function who developed severe AKI with minimal improvement during hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: In an analysis of almost 7000 veterans with cirrhosis who were hospitalized for AKI, we found the pattern of renal trajectory to be associated with mortality after discharge. Renal trajectory patterns can be used to identify subgroups of patients with cirrhosis and AKI who should receive intensive postdischarge management.