Background Worldwide, 13.3 million people experience Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) each year. 85% of individuals impacted are thought to reside in underdeveloped nations. AKI continues to be one of the most widespread diseases in the world, although little is known about its clinical profile or outcome. The ability to pinpoint particular causes enables the implementation of targeted therapy and the development of preventative measures.

The main goal of this study was to identify the patterns and outcomes of patients with AKI in the emergency department of Saint Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC).

Method and materials A cross-sectional study was conducted at the emergency department of SPHMMC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from June 1-2021 to June 1-2022. Google Forms was used to collect the data, which was then cleaned up in Microsoft Excel before being sent to SPSS version 25 for analysis. To evaluate demographic, clinical profile, and outcome determinants, descriptive statistics, and binary logistic regression analysis were utilized. A paired samples T-test was used to compare the patient’s laboratory findings at admission and discharge.

Results Among the 222 AKI patients included in the study 110 (49.5%) were males and 112 (50.5%) were females. The mean age of presentation was 48+18 years old. The majority of patients were from Addis Ababa (41.4%) and the Oromia region (40.5%). The most common causes of AKI were infections (26.2%), acute glomerulonephritis (20.4%), volume depletion (18.5%), and obstructive uropathy (16.6%). Uremic encephalopathy, infection, malignancy, potassium at discharge from emergency, and low initial Glasgow coma scale (GCS) significantly contributed to the death. The presence of nephrotoxic antibiotics, infection, and hyponatremia significantly contributed to the admission rate to the wards and intensive care unit (ICU).

Conclusion In conclusion, infection is the dominant cause and mortality predictor of AKI at SPHMMC. The majority of patients with infections were sepsis (78.1%), pyelonephritis (11.4%), and pneumonia (10.3%). Early initiation of antibiotics in the emergency is better for a good outcome.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College Institutional Review Board in Addis Ababa provided ethical clearance and permission for this study with Ref. No. pm23/11. The Department of EMCC & Research Directorate sent a letter of authorization to the medical record unit requesting access to and examination of the patient charts. No names or other personal information was utilized in the data collection to ensure confidentiality.

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