The good practice recommendations from the National Imaging Board now state that “ultrasound should be easily available to establish renal size and to investigate possible renal obstruction for an extended working day, Monday to Friday (eg 0800-2200) and at least 0900-1700 at weekends. Ultrasound imaging in acute kidney injury should be performed within 24 hours of admission and if there is clinical evidence of an infected, obstructed kidney within 6 hours”.
This advice has been produced by the National Imaging Board to support one of the principle recommendations of “Adding Insult to Injury” the NCEPOD report on AKI published in 2009. That report recommended that “all acute admissions to hospital should have access to a renal ultrasound scanning service 24 hours a day including the weekends and the ability to provide emergency relief of renal obstruction”.
The NCEPOD report on AKI was a call to arms. It told us in stark terms what many of us knew or suspected. AKI is poorly managed across the system. Only 50% of patients received good or satisfactory care. These good practice recommendations from the National Imaging Board provide a step in the right direction.
