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Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) machines are used off-label in patients less than 20 kg. Infant and neonates-dedicated CRRT machines are making their way into current practice, but these machines are available only in select centres. This study assesses the safety and efficacy of CRRT using adult CRRT machines in children ≤ 10 kg and to determines the factors affecting the circuit life in these children. Design: Retrospective cohort study of children ≤ 10 kg who received CRRT (January 2010-January 2018) at a PICU in a tertiary care centre in London, UK. Primary diagnosis, markers for illness severity, CRRT characteristics, length of PICU admission and survival to PICU discharge were collected. Descriptive analysis compared survivors and non-survivors. A subgroup analysis compared children ≤ 5 kg to children 5–10 kg. Fifty-one patients ≤ 10 kg received 10,328 h of CRRT, with median weight of 5 kg. 52.94% survived to hospital discharge. Median circuit life was 44 h (IQR 24–68). Bleeding episodes occurred with 6.7% of sessions and hypotension for 11.9%. Analysis of efficacy showed a reduction in fluid overload at 48 h (P = 0.0002) and serum creatinine at 24 and 48 h (P = 0.001). Blood priming was deemed to be safe as serum potassium decreased at 4 h (P = 0.005); there was no significant change in serum calcium. Survivors had a lower PIM2 score at PICU admission (P < 0.001) and had longer PICU length of stay (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Pending neonatal and infant dedicated CRRT machines, CRRT can be safely and effectively applied to children weighing ≤ 10 kg using adult-sized CRRT machines. What is Known: • Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy can be used for a variety of renal and non-renal indications to improve outcomes for children in the paediatric intensive care unit. These include, persistent oliguria, fluid overload, hyperkalaemia, metabolic acidosis, hyperlactatemia, hyperammonaemia, and hepatic encephalopathy. • Young children ≤ 10 kg are most often treated using standard adult machines, off-label. This potentially places them at risk of side effects due to high extracorporeal circuit volumes, relatively higher blood flows, and difficulty in achieving vascular access. What is New: • This study found that standard adult machines were effective in reducing fluid overload and creatinine in children ≤ 10 kg. This study also assessed safety of blood priming in this group and found no evidence of an acute fall in haemoglobin or calcium, and a fall in serum potassium by a median of 0.3 mmol/L. The frequency of bleeding episodes was 6.7%, and hypotension requiring vasopressors or fluid resuscitation occurred with 11.9% of treatment sessions. • These findings suggest that adult CRRT machines are sufficiently safe and efficacious for routine use in PICU for children ≤ 10 kg and suggest that further research is undertaken, regarding the routine rollout of dedicated machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in critically ill patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). We aimed to explore the changes in AKI epidemiology between the first and the second COVID wave in the United Kingdom (UK). Methods: This was an observational study of critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 in an expanded tertiary care intensive care unit (ICU) in London, UK. Baseline characteristics, organ support, COVID-19 treatments, and patient and kidney outcomes up to 90 days after discharge from hospital were compared. Results: A total of 772 patients were included in the final analysis (68% male, mean age 56 ± 13.6). Compared with wave 1, patients in wave 2 were older, had higher body mass index and clinical frailty score, but lower baseline serum creatinine and C-reactive protein (CRP). The proportion of patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) on ICU admission was lower in wave 2 (61% vs 80%; p < 0.001). AKI incidence within 14 days of ICU admission was 76% in wave 1 and 51% in wave 2 (p < 0.001); in wave 1, 32% received KRT compared with 13% in wave 2 (p < 0.001). Patients in wave 2 had significantly lower daily cumulative fluid balance (FB) than in wave 1. Fewer patients were dialysis dependent at 90 days in wave 2 (1% vs. 4%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: In critically ill adult patients admitted to ICU with COVID-19, the risk of AKI and receipt of KRT significantly declined in the second wave. The trend was associated with less MV, lower PEEP and lower cumulative FB. Trial registration: NCT04445259. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are limited data on acute kidney injury (AKI) progression and long-term outcomes in critically ill patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). We aimed to describe the prevalence and risk factors for development of AKI, its subsequent clinical course and AKI progression, as well as renal recovery or dialysis dependence and survival in this group of patients. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study in an expanded tertiary care intensive care unit in London, United Kingdom. Critically ill patients admitted to ICU between 1st March 2020 and 31st July 2020 with confirmed SARS-COV2 infection were included. Analysis of baseline characteristics, organ support, COVID-19 associated therapies and their association with mortality and outcomes at 90 days was performed. Results: Of 313 patients (70% male, mean age 54.5 ± 13.9 years), 240 (76.7%) developed AKI within 14 days after ICU admission: 63 (20.1%) stage 1, 41 (13.1%) stage 2, 136 (43.5%) stage 3. 113 (36.1%) patients presented with AKI on ICU admission. Progression to AKI stage 2/3 occurred in 36%. Risk factors for AKI progression were mechanical ventilation [HR (hazard ratio) 4.11; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61–10.49] and positive fluid balance [HR 1.21 (95% CI 1.11–1.31)], while steroid therapy was associated with a reduction in AKI progression (HR 0.73 [95% CI 0.55–0.97]). Kidney replacement therapy (KRT) was initiated in 31.9%. AKI patients had a higher 90-day mortality than non-AKI patients (34% vs. 14%; p < 0.001). Dialysis dependence was 5% at hospital discharge and 4% at 90 days. Renal recovery was identified in 81.6% of survivors at discharge and in 90.9% at 90 days. At 3 months, 16% of all AKI survivors had chronic kidney disease (CKD); among those without renal recovery, the CKD incidence was 44%. Conclusions: During the first COVID-19 wave, AKI was highly prevalent among severely ill COVID-19 patients with a third progressing to severe AKI requiring KRT. The risk of developing CKD was high. This study identifies factors modifying AKI progression, including a potentially protective effect of steroid therapy. Recognition of risk factors and monitoring of renal function post-discharge might help guide future practice and follow-up management strategies. Trial registration NCT04445259 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]