Acute Kidney Injury

Treatments

The course of treatment that your child’s nephrologist recommends will depend on the following factors:

• Your child’s age, overall health and medical history
• The degree of kidney injury

Potential treatments for acute kidney injury include:

• Fluid management. Your child’s doctor may recommend treatments to balance the amount of fluids in your child’s blood. If there is too much fluid in the blood, the doctor may prescribe diuretics (water pills) to reduce the fluid. If there is not enough fluid in the blood, the doctor may recommend intravenous (IV) fluids.
• Medicines. Your child’s doctor may prescribe medicines to prevent the accumulation of potassium in the blood, which can occur when the kidneys are not properly filtering the blood. If your child’s blood calcium is low, the doctor may prescribe medicines to help restore a normal blood calcium level.
• Diet modifications. Your child should try to avoid foods that are high in potassium, such as bananas, oranges, tomatoes and potatoes. Also, offer foods that are lower in sodium (salt). Your child should also try to limit his or her intake of phosphorous-containing foods, such as dairy products, dried beans, nuts and peanut butter.
• Acute hemodialysis. In this treatment, a machine and filter do the work that your kidneys normally do, removing waste and other materials from the blood. Hemodialysis helps to control blood pressure and helps the body maintain the proper balance of important minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium and bicarbonate.
• Peritoneal dialysis. Instead of using a machine outside the body to perform the kidneys’ functions, waste is filtered through the lining of the abdomen which acts as an artificial kidney. After receiving thorough training, you can help your child undergo this type of dialysis at home on your own schedule.
• Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). CRRT is a form of continuous veno-venous hemofiltration that can be performed with or without dialysis. Continuous veno-venous hemofiltration with dialysis—or CVVH(D)—is performed in the intensive care unit to clean the blood with a machine. CVVH(D) helps control fluid balance and blood pressure and can remove waste products from the blood.