Employing a haemodynamic score to predict acute kidney injury in infants with patent ductus arteriosus

Aim: This study hypothesised that infants with a haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) as defined by a validated score have a higher incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI).

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including infants < 29 weeks' gestation, born at the Rotunda Hospital. The El-Khuffash patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) severity score was applied following an echocardiographic assessment. Mann Whitney-U and χ2 tests were utilised to assess for association with AKI.

Results: We report a cohort of n = 86 infants with PDA of a mean (standard deviation) gestation of 27 (1) weeks and birth weight of 957 g (235 g). Ten (11.6%) of infants developed AKI. Birth weight, gestation, death-by-discharge, high-risk PDA score, PDA treatment, and ibuprofen receipt were associated with AKI. The presence of a high-risk PDA score was independently associated with the occurrence of AKI. Therapeutic intervention and ibuprofen use proved significant in their associations with AKI.

Conclusion: A high-risk El-Khuffash PDA score is predictive of AKI in our cohort. Ductal diameter in isolation is ineffective as a measure of haemodynamic significance in the context of AKI prediction. Both PDA treatment and ibuprofen-use are associated with an increased risk of AKI. Further work to validate the use of this score for AKI prediction is warranted.