Introduction:Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) as a cause of snake-bite-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is rarely reported. Very little is known about the clinical course, optimal management, and prognosis of this entity. We describe a series of snake-bite-induced TMA and compare their outcomes with those without TMA.Methods:This was a single-center retrospective study of patients with AKI following snake envenomation admitted between January 2012 and December 2017. Demographic profile, clinical parameters, and outcomes were studied. TMA was diagnosed based on presence of triad of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and AKI, and groups with and without TMA were compared.Results:Of 103 patients with AKI following snake bite, 19 (18.5%) had clinical evidence of TMA. All patients with TMA had advanced azotemia (mean peak serum creatinine 9.5 ± 3.0 mg/dL), with 18 (95%) requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT). Thirteen (68%) had either complete or partial recovery of renal functions, two (10%) progressed to end-stage renal disease, and one died (three patients were lost to follow-up). Age ≥50 years, presence of oliguria/anuria, anti-snake venom dose ≥10 vials, and urea ≥80 mg/dL at presentation were independently associated with TMA (P < 0.05). RRT requirement (95% vs. 57%), mean number of RRT sessions (18 vs. 4.5 sessions), and hospital stay ≥7 days (84% vs. 58%) were higher in patients with TMA (P < 0.05), but patient outcomes did not differ.Conclusions:In conclusion, TMA was seen in 18.5% of patients with snake-bite-related AKI in our study and was associated with almost universal need for RRT, longer duration on RRT, and hospital stay compared with patients without TMA.

With increasing longevity and the presence of multiple comorbidities, a significant proportion of hospitalized patients, and an even larger population in the community, is at increased risk of developing an episode of acute kidney injury (AKI). Because of improvements in short-term outcomes following an episode of AKI, survivors of an episode of AKI are now predisposed to develop its long-term sequel. The identification of risk for progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD) is complicated by the absence of good biomarkers that identify this risk and the variability of risk associated with clinical factors including, but not limited to, the number of AKI episodes, severity, duration of previous AKI and pre-existing CKD that has made the prediction for long-term outcomes in survivors of AKI more difficult. Being a significant contributor to the growing incidence of CKD, there is a need to implement measures to prevent AKI in both the community and hospital settings, target interventions to treat AKI that are also associated with better long-term outcomes, accurately identify patients at risk of adverse consequences following an episode of AKI and institute therapeutic strategies to improve these long-term outcomes. We discuss the lasting renal and non-renal consequences following an episode of AKI, available biomarkers and non-invasive testing to identify ongoing intra-renal pathology and review the currently available and future treatment strategies to help reduce these adverse long-term outcomes.

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of pharmaceutical care on medication adherence, hemoglobin (Hb) levels, blood pressure (BP), and interdialytic weight gain (IDW) among hemodialysis (HD) patients. An open-label randomized controlled study has been conducted at three different hospitals of HD centers. The patients have been randomized into two groups [usual care group (UCG) and pharmaceutical care group (PCG)] by block design. The assessment has been carried out at baseline, 6, and 12 months. At the end of the study, a total number of 153 patients have been followed. Out of 153 patients, 83 (UCG: n = 41; PCG: n = 42), 18 (UCG: n = 09; PCG: n = 09), and 52 (UCG: n = 25; PCG: n = 27) patients have been followed from academic, government, and corporate hospitals, respectively. The PCG had significantly reduced its IDW and BP levels in comparison to UCG at different time intervals with a statistical significance of P <0.05. The Hb levels and medication adherence rate scores of HD patients had significantly increased in PCG compared to UCG at different time intervals. The "World Health Organization-International Pharmaceutical Federation pharmaceutical care" plan model delivered by the registered pharmacist regarding the knowledge about the disease, medications, life style changes, nutritional information, personal interview, and medication review had a positive impact on the on medication adherence, Hb levels, BP, and IDW.