Selective bilirubin removal: a treatment of jaundice-related kidney injury?

Bilirubin Removal with Therapeutic Plasma Exchange or Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System as Treatment for Cholemic Nephropathy in Patients with Cirrhosis and Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure: A Case Series

INTRODUCTION

Cholemic nephropathy is an overlooked cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with cirrhosis and high bilirubin plasma levels (usually above 20 mg/dL), due to bilirubin and bile acid deposition in the kidneys. Those deposits have been hypothesized to cause tubular injury. It has no standardized diagnostic criteria or therapeutic strategies.

METHOD

We present a series of 15 patients with cirrhosis, acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and severe cholemic AKI, diagnosed by microscopic urinary cast visualization after excluding and treating other causes of AKI. Bilirubin plasma removal was performed with Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS®, n = 3) or therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE, n = 12) to treat and prevent further kidney deterioration.

RESULTS

Kidney function improved in most of the patients; 5 patients also required transient hemodialysis, with only 1 patient evolving to end-stage chronic kidney disease needing liver-kidney transplant. Five patients underwent extended TPE sessions as a bridge to liver transplantation. Survival at 30 days and 1 year was 80% and 73%, respectively, with 10 patients undergoing transplantation along this year.

CONCLUSION

In this highly selected cohort of patients with cirrhosis, ACLF, and severe cholemic AKI, extracorporeal plasma removal techniques seem to improve kidney function and overall prognosis. Larger prospective and controlled studies are required to better understand this condition.

INTRODUCTION

Cholemic nephropathy is an overlooked cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with cirrhosis and high bilirubin plasma levels (usually above 20 mg/dL), due to bilirubin and bile acid deposition in the kidneys. Those deposits have been hypothesized to cause tubular injury. It has no standardized diagnostic criteria or therapeutic strategies.

METHOD

We present a series of 15 patients with cirrhosis, acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and severe cholemic AKI, diagnosed by microscopic urinary cast visualization after excluding and treating other causes of AKI. Bilirubin plasma removal was performed with Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS®, n = 3) or therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE, n = 12) to treat and prevent further kidney deterioration.

RESULTS

Kidney function improved in most of the patients; 5 patients also required transient hemodialysis, with only 1 patient evolving to end-stage chronic kidney disease needing liver-kidney transplant. Five patients underwent extended TPE sessions as a bridge to liver transplantation. Survival at 30 days and 1 year was 80% and 73%, respectively, with 10 patients undergoing transplantation along this year.

CONCLUSION

In this highly selected cohort of patients with cirrhosis, ACLF, and severe cholemic AKI, extracorporeal plasma removal techniques seem to improve kidney function and overall prognosis. Larger prospective and controlled studies are required to better understand this condition.

Serum Total Bilirubin Level Is Associated With Hospital Mortality Rate in Adult Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Study

Background: Serum bilirubin level has been suggested to be associated with mortality for patients with severe sepsis. This study aimed to investigate the association of serum total bilirubin level with hospital mortality rate in adult critically ill patients.

Method: Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III (MIMIC-III) database. Patients with measured serum total bilirubin levels that recorded within 24 h after admission were involved in this study. Association of serum total bilirubin level and hospital mortality rate was assessed using logistic regression analysis. Propensity score-matching (PSM) was used to minimize differences between different groups.

Results: A total of 12,035 critically ill patients were herein involved. In patients with serum total bilirubin level ≥ 2 mg/dL, the hospital mortality rate was 31.9% compared with 17.0% for patients with serum total bilirubin level < 2 mg/dL (546/1714 vs. 1750/10321, P < 0.001). The results of multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio of mortality in patients with serum total bilirubin level ≥ 2 mg/dL was 1.654 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.307, 2.093, P < 0.001]. After propensity score matching, in patients with serum total bilirubin level ≥ 2 mg/dL, the weighted hospital mortality rate was 32.2% compared with 24.8% for patients with serum total bilirubin level < 2 mg/dL, P = 0.001).

Conclusions: Serum total bilirubin concentration was found to be independently associated with hospital mortality rate in adult critically ill patients.

Acute kidney injury spectrum in patients with chronic liver disease: Where do we stand?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of liver cirrhosis and is of the utmost clinical and prognostic relevance. Patients with cirrhosis, especially decompensated cirrhosis, are more prone to develop AKI than those without cirrhosis. The hepatorenal syndrome type of AKI (HRS–AKI), a spectrum of disorders in prerenal chronic liver disease, and acute tubular necrosis (ATN) are the two most common causes of AKI in patients with chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. Differentiating these conditions is essential due to the differences in treatment. Prerenal AKI, a more benign disorder, responds well to plasma volume expansion, while ATN requires more specific renal support and is associated with substantial mortality. HRS–AKI is a facet of these two conditions, which are characterized by a dysregulation of the immune response. Recently, there has been progress in better defining this clinical entity, and studies have begun to address optimal care. The present review synopsizes the current diagnostic criteria, pathophysiology, and treatment modalities of HRS–AKI and as well as AKI in other chronic liver diseases (non-HRS–AKI) so that early recognition of HRS–AKI and the appropriate management can be established.

Early Allograft Dysfunction Is Associated With Higher Risk of Renal Nonrecovery After Liver Transplantation

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Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) identifies allografts with marginal function soon after liver transplantation (LT) and is associated with poor LT outcomes. The impact of EAD on post-LT renal recovery, however, has not been studied. Data on 69 primary LT recipients (41 with and 28 without history of renal dysfunction) who received renal replacement therapy (RRT) for a median (range) of 9 (13-41) days before LT were retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcome was renal nonrecovery defined as RRT requirement 30 days from LT. Early allograft dysfunction developed in 21 (30%) patients, and 22 (32%) patients did not recover renal function. Early allograft dysfunction was more common in the renal nonrecovery group (50% vs 21%, P = 0.016). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that EAD (odds ratio, 7.25; 95% confidence interval, 2.0-25.8; P = 0.002) and baseline serum creatinine (odds ratio, 3.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.4-8.1; P = 0.007) were independently associated with renal nonrecovery. History of renal dysfunction, duration of renal dysfunction, and duration of RRT were not related to renal recovery (P > 0.2 for all). Patients who had EAD and renal nonrecovery had the worst 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival, whereas those without EAD and recovered renal function had the best outcomes (P < 0.001). Post-LT EAD was independently associated with renal nonrecovery in LT recipients on RRT for a short duration before LT. Furthermore, EAD in the setting of renal nonrecovery resulted in the worst long-term survival. Measures to prevent EAD should be undertaken in LT recipients on RRT at time of LT.

Bile cast nephropathy in a patient with cholangiocarcinoma - a case report

Bile cast nephropathy is characterized by the presence of bile casts associated with renal failure and/or proximal tubulopathy in cases of severe hyperbilirubinemia. The clinician should carefully examine the urine samples for characteristic bile‐stained granular casts in suspected case.

Early Allograft Dysfunction After Liver Transplantation Is Associated With Short- and Long-Term Kidney Function Impairment

Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) after liver transplantation (LT) is related to ischemia-reperfusion injury and may lead to a systemic inflammatory response and extrahepatic organ dysfunction. We evaluated the effect of EAD on new-onset acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring renal replacement therapy within the first month and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) within the first year post-LT in 1325 primary LT recipients. EAD developed in 358 (27%) of recipients. Seventy-one (5.6%) recipients developed AKI and 38 (2.9%) developed ESRD. Compared with those without EAD, recipients with EAD had a higher risk of AKI and ESRD (4% vs. 9% and 2% vs. 6%, respectively, p < 0.001 for both). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed an independent relationship between EAD and AKI as well as ESRD (odds ratio 3.5, 95% confidence interval 1.9-6.4, and odds ratio 3.1, 95% confidence interval 11.9-91.2, respectively). Patients who experienced both EAD and AKI had inferior 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year patient and graft survival compared with those with either EAD or AKI alone, while those who had neither AKI nor EAD had the best outcomes (p < 0.001). Post-LT EAD is a risk factor for both AKI and ESRD and should be considered a target for future intervention to reduce post-LT short- and long-term renal dysfunction.