Despite kidney disease being common among infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and the underlying risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) following discharge from the NICU, there remains a lack of evidence- and expert-based recommendations to guide clinical care following discharge. 
In order to address this knowledge gap, a new massive collaboration of researchers from institutions across the country was formed to develop recommendations for risk stratification and kidney health monitoring among infants following their discharge from the NICU.
Published in JAMA Network Open, and titled, “Kidney Health Monitoring in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduates: A Modified Delphi Consensus Statement,” this recommendation features researchers and clinicians from nearly two dozens medical institutions, including the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the University of Michigan School of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, among others.
Researchers from UPMC Children’s Hospital and our Department of Pediatrics include Tara M. Beck, DO, a sixth year fellow, and Dana Y. Furman, DO, MS, an Associate Professor, both in our Division of Nephrology.
This expert-based recommendation work was developed at the National Institute of Health-supported Consensus Workshop to Address Kidney Health in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduates meeting conducted in February 2024. A panel of 51 neonatal nephrology experts concentrated efforts on three at-risk groups: preterm infants, critically ill infants with acute kidney injury, and infants with critical cardiac disease.
Ultimately, the group developed ten consensus recommendations, identified knowledge gaps, and prioritized areas of future research. Some of the key conclusions included risk stratification at the time of hospital discharge, family and clinician education and counseling for subsequent kidney health follow-up, and blood pressure assessment as part of outpatient care.
Pitt Pediatrics congratulates Beck and Furman for their participation in this critical collaboration. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for future updates on faculty research, publications, and collaborations.