Biomarkers and creatinine in AKI: the trough of disillusionment or the slope of enlightenment?

Assessment of acute kidney biomarkers against changes in plasma creatinine is beset by issues of heterogeneity of study cohorts and timing of sampling. Siew and colleagues attempt to minimize these issues in a case-control study of three biomarkers in the intensive care unit. The results highlight the inherent methodological difficulties and the need to reference structural injury biomarkers against more meaningful outcomes.