Acute Kidney Injury, Chronic Kidney Disease & Dialysis Care

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is often reversible and classified by cause: prerenal (reduced blood flow to the kidneys — dehydration, hemorrhage, heart failure), intrarenal (direct kidney tissue damage — nephrotoxic medications, contrast dye, prolonged ischemia), and postrenal (obstruction — an enlarged prostate, kidney stones, a blocked catheter). Distinguishing these matters because the fix differs: prerenal AKI often improves with fluid resuscitation, while postrenal AKI requires relieving the obstruction — giving aggressive fluids to a patient with an obstructed, backed-up urinary system won't help and may worsen the picture.