Abstract
INTRODUCTION: While both intermittent renal replacement therapy (IRRT) and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) are used to treat sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (S-AKI), their comparative effectiveness remains unclear. We compared the outcomes between these modalities in patients with S-AKI. METHODS: Data from the Japanese Intensive Care Patient Database (JIPAD) was used for this multi-center retrospective cohort study. Adult patients with S-AKI who received either IRRT or CRRT between 2015 and 2021 were included. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. We compared IRRT and CRRT using one-to-three propensity score matching analysis. A subgroup analysis was performed in patients with septic shock. RESULTS: Of the 756 patients analyzed, 79 received IRRT, and 677 received CRRT. After propensity score matching, baseline characteristics were well-balanced between groups. In-hospital mortality showed no significant difference between IRRT and CRRT (48.6% vs. 38.0%; risk difference - 10.6%; 95% CI - 23.0 to 2.9; P = 0.11). In patients with septic shock, in-hospital mortality was also not different between groups (52.6% vs. 40.4%; risk difference - 12.2%; 95% CI - 28.8 to 3.7; P = 0.10). CONCLUSION: IRRT and CRRT may be similar in-hospital mortality in patients with S-AKI. Further studies are warranted to determine the most effective renal replacement modality for this patient population.