Real-life effects, complications, and outcomes in 39 critically ill neonates receiving continuous kidney replacement therapy

Background Continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) has been expanded from simple kidney replacement therapy to the field of critical illness in children. However, CKRT is rarely used in critically ill neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This study aimed to describe patients' clinical characteristics at admission and CKRT initiation, CKRT effects, short-term outcomes, and predictors of death in critically ill neonates. Methods A 7-year single-center retrospective study in a tertiary NICU. Results Thirty-nine critically ill neonates received CKRT between May 2015 and April 2022 with a mortality rate of 35.9%. The most common primary diagnosis was neonatal sepsis in 15 cases (38.5%). Continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration and continuous veno-venous hemofiltration were applied in 43.6% and 56.4% of neonates, respectively. The duration of CKRT was 44 (18, 72) h. Thirty-one patients (79.5%) had complications due to CKRT-related adverse events, and the most common complication was thrombocytopenia. Approximately 12 h after the CKRT initiation, urine volume, mean arterial pressure, and pH were increased, and serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and blood lactate were decreased. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, neonatal critical illness score [odds ratio 0.886 (0.786 similar to 0.998), P = 0.046] was an independent risk factor for death in critically ill neonates who received CKRT. Conclusions CKRT can be an effective and feasible technique in critically ill neonates, but the overall mortality and CKRT-related complications are relatively high. Furthermore, the probability of death is greater among neonates with greater severity of illness at CKRT initiation.