Which clinical feature would suggest a condition other than prerenal acute kidney injury?

The presence of normal urine output suggests that the kidneys are functioning adequately in filtering and excreting waste, which is not typically seen in prerenal acute kidney injury. In prerenal acute kidney injury, there is usually a decrease in renal perfusion leading to reduced urine output because the kidneys are conserving water to counteract a perceived state of dehydration. Normal urine output can indicate that the cause of the acute kidney injury lies elsewhere, and it may suggest that the kidneys are not yet impacted or that the underlying condition does not primarily affect renal function directly.

In contrast, decreased urine output is commonly associated with prerenal causes due to ongoing loss of renal perfusion. Persistently normal vital signs can indicate stability in a patient but do not specifically rule out prerenal causes. An acute onset after an increase in diuretics often points towards an intrarenal problem, indicating that the kidneys are not able to handle fluid management properly, which does not typically occur in a prerenal scenario. Thus, the presence of normal urine output is the feature that stands out as suggesting a different underlying condition.