Urinary Heparanase Activity as a Predictor of Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Adults

Study Summary

Across the world, the most common cause of dying in the ICU is a disease called "sepsis". Sepsis is a disease in which the body's protective response to infection becomes too intense, unnecessarily damaging important organs in the body. Kidney damage during sepsis is particularly bad, as a person's chance of survival drops significantly when he or she develops kidney failure. This study plans to learn more about how to detect (and thus prevent) kidney failure early in sepsis. The current tests doctors use only detect kidney failure once it's already happened. We must therefore find better ways of detecting kidney failure earlier, when there is still a chance to protect the kidneys. In this study, patients will provide a one-time sample of urine. We will check this urine for signs of a protein called "heparanase", which we believe is important in early kidney failure. We will then see if high heparanase activity in urine predicts the risk of developing kidney failure. We will compare results from patients with sepsis with results from patients with trauma, allowing us to determine if heparanase is only important in sepsis kidney failure.

Primary Outcome

Acute kidney injury will be determined using RIFLE criteria, based upon change in serum creatinine or urine output.

Interventions

• OTHER Urine collection