Acute kidney injury and 2009 H1N1 influenza-related critical illness

The year 2009 was characterized by a pandemic with a new virus, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. This pandemic was responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide, many more hospital admissions, and thousands of admissions to intensive care units (ICUs). Among those admitted to ICUs, the pandemic was associated with a mortality of approximately 16 , a high incidence of acute lung injury and, in some cases, acute respiratory distress syndrome severe enough to require support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. As part of such a critical illness, a percentage of patients developed acute kidney injury (AKI) which complicated their clinical course and, in some patients, required support by renal replacement therapy.