Predictors and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury after Cardiac Surgery.

A retrospective study was performed to evaluate predictors and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) post-cardiac surgery based on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. The incidence of AKI post-cardiac surgery was 30.3% for AKI Stage 1, 7.1% for AKI Stage 2, and 7.9% for AKI Stage 3. Smoking history, postoperative acute respiratory failure, and postoperative blood transfusion were predictors of all AKI stages. Hypertension, cardiopulmonary bypass, and postoperative coma/encephalopathy were predictors of higher AKI stages. AKI post-cardiac surgery was significantly associated with poor postoperative outcomes, including prolonged intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay, lower likelihood to be discharged home, and increased postoperative mortality. AKI is a common complication after cardiac surgery, and knowledge of predictors of post-cardiac surgery AKI helps identify patients at risk.