Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) Lecture Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering kidney functions, AKI categories, causes, phases, clinical findings, and nursing interventions based on lecture notes.

Calcitriol

The active hormone form of Vitamin D produced by healthy kidneys that helps increase calcium absorption from the intestines into the blood.

Erythropoietin

A hormone released by the kidneys that instructs the bone marrow to produce red blood cells (RBCs).

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

An abrupt, rapid loss of kidney function that impairs the body's ability to maintain fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance, typically marked by an increase in serum creatinine of $50\text{\%}$ or greater above baseline.

Nonoliguria

A category of urine output in AKI defined as producing greater than $800\text{\,mL/day}$ of urine.

Oliguria

A condition of reduced urine volume defined as producing less than $0.5\text{\,mL/kg/hr}$ (or less than $400\text{\,mL/day}$ during the oliguric phase).

Anuria

A urine output category defined as producing less than $50\text{\,mL/day}$ of urine.

Prerenal AKI

The most common category of AKI in acute care, caused by a reduction in blood perfusion to the kidney before it reaches the renal tissue.

Intrarenal AKI

Also known as intrinsic AKI, this category involves direct damage inside the kidney tissue caused by prolonged ischemia, nephrotoxic agents, or infectious processes like glomerulonephritis.

Postrenal AKI

A category of AKI caused by obstruction of urine flow out of the kidneys, such as from BPH, cancers, kidney stones, or blood clots.

Initiation Phase

The initial stage of renal failure that begins with the initial kidney injury and ends once the oliguric phase begins.

Oliguric Phase

A stage of renal failure lasting approximately 1 to 2 weeks, characterized by urine output dropping below $400\text{\,mL/day}$, elevated BUN and creatinine, mild hyponatremia, metabolic acidosis, and high potassium levels ($>5$).

Diuretic Phase

A stage of renal failure lasting 1 to 3 weeks where nephrons begin to recover and output $3\text{\,L/day}$ to $6\text{\,L/day}$ of dilute urine due to osmotic diuresis, presenting main risks of hypovolemia and electrolyte loss.

Recovery Phase

The final stage of renal failure where GFR and urine output return to normal, and laboratory values stabilize; complete healing can take a year or more.

Kayexalate

A pharmacological intervention used in nursing care for AKI to help manage electrolyte imbalances.

Phosphate-Binding Agents

Medications (such as calcium) that decrease intestinal absorption of phosphate to prevent a continued rise in blood phosphate levels in AKI patients.

High-Carbohydrate Diet in AKI

A dietary regimen recommended for AKI patients that avoids foods high in potassium or phosphorus, such as bananas, citrus fruits/juices, and coffee.