Fig. 2. Global mechanism of distal organ injury. Acute kidney injury leads to distant organ injury through a combination of proinflammatory and oxidative stress-mediated mechanisms. Serum and distal organ cytokine levels increase in conjunction with leukocyte trafficking and increased oxidative stress. In addition, sodium-water channel dysregulation in the lungs aggravates pulmonary edema. IL = interleukin; TNF-α = tumor necrosis factor-α.