Long-term Prognosis of Acute Kidney Injury After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Acute kidney injury (AKI; previously known as acute renal failure) is a common complication in hospitalized patients, and its incidence has risen substantially over the past 15 years.^1-3 As a conservative estimate, roughly 17 million admissions annually in the United States are complicated by AKI, resulting in over $10 billion in costs to the health care system.⁴ In high-risk patients, such as those hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), sepsis, and those undergoing cardiac surgery, the incidence of AKI is high, ranging from 10% to 25%.^5-10 Several studies have demonstrated that AKI is associated with a marked increase in in-hospital mortality.^6-12 Furthermore, recent studies suggest that even small changes in serum creatinine level (as small as a 0.25 mg/dL change) are associated with increased short-term mortality.^4,8-10,13,14 (To convert creatinine to micromoles per liter, multiply by 88.4.)