Consulting to nephrologist when starting continuous renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury is associated with a survival benefit

Background Several studies suggest improved outcomes for patients with kidney disease who consult a nephrologist. However, it remains undetermined whether a consultation with a nephrologist is related to a survival benefit after starting continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) due to acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods Data from 2,397 patients who started CRRT due to severe AKI at Seoul National University Hospital, Korea between 2010 and 2020 were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they underwent a nephrology consultation regarding the initiation and maintenance of CRRT. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) of mortality during admission to the intensive care unit after adjusting for multiple variables. Results A total of 2,153 patients (89.8%) were referred to nephrologists when starting CRRT. The patients who underwent a nephrology consultation had a lower mortality rate than those who did not have a consultation (HR = 0.47 [0.40–0.56]; P < 0.001). Subsequently, patients who had nephrology consultations were divided into two groups (i.e., early and late) according to the timing of the consultation. Both patients with early and late consultation had lower mortality rates than patients without consultations, with HRs of 0.45 (0.37–0.54) and 0.51 (0.42–0.61), respectively. Conclusions Consultation with a nephrologist may contribute to a survival benefit after starting CRRT for AKI.