Acute kidney injury is a common occurrence in the intensive care unit and one that is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. One role for palliative care is to guide medical decision-making regarding management of patients with acute kidney injury. This role can be fulfilled as part of primary palliative care by the intensive care unit and nephrology teams or by specialist palliative care clinicians if there is a need for assistance with conflict resolution. In such discussions, it is important to understand the patient’s prognosis and values, preferences, and goals to inform the shared decision-making discussion about whether to initiate or continue renal replacement therapy. This chapter reviews the literature and guideline recommendations on a palliative care approach to managing critically ill patients with acute kidney injury.
Palliative care in acute kidney injury patients in the intensive care unit