Outcomes of acute kidney injury in a nephrology ward

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a global problem which predicts immediate and long-term adverse outcomes. We evaluated the AKI progression to end-stage renal disease, as well as the mortality associated with AKI and the in-hospital readmission rate because of a cardiovascular event in AKI patients admitted in a nephrology ward. A 5-year retrospective study was set in a nephrology department, with a follow-up period of up to 8 years. In a total of 191 patients, mean age was 73.83 ± 12.49 years, and 137 (71.7%) patients had history of chronic kidney disease. One hundred and twenty-four (65%) patients needed RRT and two (1%) needed surgery. Upon discharge, 107 (56%) patients had recovered the renal function, 41 (21.6%) patients had partial recovery, 25 (13%) patients were RRT dependent, 16 (8.4%) died, and two (1%) patients had outcomes unknown to us, because they were transferred to other hospitals. The median survival time free of RRT was 74 months. The median survival time of the followed patients was 34 months (95% CI 23.3-44.7). The mortality rate in the follow-up period in this sample was 18 deaths/100 patients-years, and the incidence of a composite cardiovascular endpoint of heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke was 6 events/100 patients-years. The mortality rate in the follow-up period was higher than usually described for patients outside intensive care unit, probably because our patients were old and had many comorbidities.