Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a clinical syndrome caused by a multitude of hemodynamic, toxic, and structural insults to the kidney, and portends worse patient outcomes. Despite careful history taking, physical examination, and analysis of laboratory data, a void is evident in the diagnostic process and clinical monitoring of AKI.

Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is a limited ultrasound study performed by the clinician at bedside as an adjunct to physical examination.

Growing body of evidence points to POCUS as a powerful tool in a variety of clinical settings.

Herein, we discuss how nephrologist-performed POCUS has the potential to provide answers to focused questions that we encounter in diagnosis and management of patients with AKI.

From excluding hydronephrosis to providing real-time insights into hemodynamics, incorporation of POCUS helps integrate all the pieces of patient data and formulate individualized treatment plans.

Future studies are needed to evaluate the impact of multi-organ POCUS on AKI-related pragmatic patient outcomes, the potential of this technique to stratify the risk and to identify patients with different levels of severity of AKI and different pathophysiological signatures.

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