TransplantCheck

Where are you right now? · Step 1 of 9

AKI

“Will this be temporary?”

Illustrative patient words
Drawn from above: a dialysis unit where patients sit in recliners beside their machines, reading or watching a show. One writes an entry on her phone. It reaches the care team’s laptop at the station, and a social worker comes over and sits beside her chair.

What is acute kidney injury (AKI)?

Acute kidney injury, also called acute kidney failure, is a fast loss of the kidneys’ ability to clear waste and balance fluids, in less than 2 days.1

If dialysis is needed, it is most often short term. Sometimes the damage is so great that dialysis is needed for good.1

Ask your care team what caused it and how they will check your kidneys from here.

Questions to bring to your team

  • Is my kidney problem short term or long term?
Sources
  1. MedlinePlus. Acute kidney failure. Acute kidney failure (first paragraph). Treatment. Checked October 31, 2026.
Page facts

Written by the TransplantCheck team.

Facts checked against official sources on October 31, 2026.

Changes

  • November 2, 2026: first version, with answers from The kidney care journey.