Table 3.

Nutritional markers and their limitations in patient with acute kidney injury (AKI)

Parameter	Comment
Anthropometry (triceps skin fold, arm circumference, etc.)	Influenced by edema
Changes in body weight	Total body water is increased in AKI. Hypervolemia can mask changes in muscle mass.
Albumin, prealbumin, and cholesterol	May be reduced regardless of PEW (negative inflammation markers)
Leukocyte count	Low specificity
Protein catabolic rate of protein equivalent to nitrogen emergence	Measurement based on urea kinetics during RRT + collection of the dialysate
Energy spending	Prediction formulas are not always accurate in critically ill patients (they are usually based on body weight)
Nutritional score (SGA and its modifications)	Most data from patients with chronic kidney disease

PEW, protein-energy wasting; RRT, renal replacement therapy; SGA, subjective global assessment.