Risk factors for and the prevention of acute kidney injury after abdominal surgery

Postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing abdominal surgery is not rare and often results in bad outcomes for patients. The incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury is hard to evaluate reliably due to its non-unified definitions in different studies. Risk factors for acute kidney injury specific to abdominal surgery include preoperative renal insufficiency, intraabdominal hypertension, blood transfusion, bowel preparation, perioperative dehydration, contrast agent and nephrotoxic drug use. Among these, preoperative renal insufficiency is the strongest predictor of acute kidney injury. The peri-operative management of high-risk patients should include meticulous selection of fluid solutions. Balanced crystalloid solutions and albumin are generally thought to be relatively safe, while the safety of hydroxyethyl starch solutions has been controversial. The purpose of the present review is to discuss the current knowledge regarding postoperative acute kidney injury in abdominal surgical settings to help surgeons make better decisions concerning the peri-operative management.