It is important to predict which patients may require renal replacement therapy (RRT) at the time of initial presentation after crush injuries. There is limited data in the literature examining the predictors of RRT.

This study was conducted by evaluating 2232 patients who presented to our hospital following two major earthquakes of magnitudes 7.6 and 7.7 Mw that occurred in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on February 6, 2023. A total of 314 patients who were hospitalized upon being rescued from the rubble and had a creatine kinase (CK) level above 1000 U/L were included in the final analysis. Factors predicting the need for RRT were investigated, and a dialysis score was developed for this prediction.

Of the 314 patients included in the study, 95 (30.2 %) developed acute kidney injury (AKI). RRT was performed on 68 (21.6 %) patients. The optimal cut-off value of CK for the prediction of AKI was 23,000 U/L. Multivariate analysis revealed that factors predicting RRT were the number of traumatized sides (odds ratio [OR]: 2.2, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.09–4.39, p = 0.026), albumin (OR:0.11, 95 % CI: 0.04–0.32, p < 0.001), and CK (OR: 1.00, 95 % CI 1.00–1.00, p < 0.001). A dialysis score was developed ranging from 0 to 7 based on the number of traumatized sides, albumin, and CK. The area under the curve (AUC) of the dialysis score in receiver operating characteristic analysis was 0.974. A dialysis score of 4 or higher had a sensitivity of 97.1 % and a specificity of 89.4 % for predicting the need for RRT.

The dialysis score predicts the need for RRT quite well. The simplicity of use and high sensitivity and specificity of this score in earthquake-related crush injuries will greatly facilitate clinicians in patient triage and follow-up.