Background

A scoring system for outcome prediction in dogs with acute kidney injury (AKI) recently has been developed but has not been validated.

Hypothesis

The scoring system previously developed for outcome prediction will accurately predict outcome in a validation cohort of dogs with AKI managed with hemodialysis.

Animals

One hundred fifteen client-owned dogs with AKI.

Methods

Medical records of dogs with AKI treated by hemodialysis between 2011 and 2015 were reviewed. Dogs were included only if all variables required to calculate the final predictive score were available, and the 30-day outcome was known. A predictive score for 3 models was calculated for each dog. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of the final predictive score with each model's outcome. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses were performed to determine sensitivity and specificity for each model based on previously established cut-off values.

Results

Higher scores for each model were associated with decreased survival probability (P < .001). Based on previously established cut-off values, 3 models (models A, B, C) were associated with sensitivities/specificities of 73/75%, 71/80%, and 75/86%, respectively, and correctly classified 74-80% of the dogs.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

All models were simple to apply and allowed outcome prediction that closely corresponded with actual outcome in an independent cohort. As expected, accuracies were slightly lower compared with those from the previously reported cohort used initially to develop the models.

Background

Renal replacement therapies can be life-saving for dogs with severe acute kidney injury (AKI), however, comorbidities including pancreatitis might affect outcome.

Hypothesis/objectives

To investigate the prevalence of pancreas-specific lipase (Spec cPL) measurements consistent with pancreatitis (≥400 μg/L) in dogs undergoing intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) for treatment of AKI and to determine whether there were associations between 30-days outcomes and Spec cPL measurements.

Animals

Fifty-three client-owned dogs presented to teaching hospitals between November 2008 and September 2016 that underwent IHD.

Methods

Retrospective medical record review from dogs that received IHD for management of AKI and also had a Spec cPL measurement. Association between survival, dialysis-dependency, and Spec cPL measurements was assessed.

Results

Forty of 53 (76%) dogs were alive at 30-days and 33/53(62%) had a Spec cPL result ≥400 μg/L. Spec cPL was not significantly different either between surviving (635.5 μg/L, range 29-1,001) and nonsurviving dogs (860 μg/L, range 56-1,001; P = 0.75) or between dialysis-dependent (1,001 μg/L, range 177-1,001) and nondialysis-dependent dogs (520 μg/L, range 29-1,001; P = 0.08). Spec cPL ≥400 μg/L was not significantly associated either with survival (P = 0.74) or dialysis-dependency (P = 0.33).

Conclusions and clinical importance

Results revealed a high prevalence of Spec cPL ≥400 μg/L in dogs with AKI treated with IHD. No significant associations between Spec cPL and survival or dialysis-dependency in dogs with AKI at 30 days were identified in the current study, however, the latter could be due to lack of power in this study.