The Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative underestimates the risk associated with mild postoperative acute kidney injury.

Summary: After major blood vessel surgery, some patients get kidney damage. Doctors use different rules to check for this. One rule (called VQI) only catches severe kidney damage. Another rule (called KDIGO) catches even mild damage. A study of 932 patients found that the strict VQI rule missed many people with mild kidney damage. This is a big deal because even mild kidney damage can lead to longer hospital stays and a higher risk of death. The study suggests doctors should use the better rule to catch all kidney problems early and help patients survive.