Incidence of acute and chronic renal failure as complications of patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit

Abstract

Introduction: Acute (ARF) or chronic (CRF) renal failure are frequent complications of individuals hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Objective: To quantify in these patients the incidence of ARF and CRF, and underlying diseases that may progress to these conditions in order to provide information for a systematization of care for patients who suffer from it, and to reduce hospitalization time and costs of procedures. Methods: We conducted a prospective evaluation of medical records of patients admitted to the ICU from 1 to 10/2/2010. Results: Of the total admissions, 17% progressed to CRF, and 29% developed ARF. We observed that 60% of the volunteers were hypertensive, and 26% were diabetics. Conclusion: The punctual quantification of ICU admission reasons provides information on the profile of patients in each service, which may contribute to the creation of programs aimed at reducing the morbidity, mortality and costs associated with the treatment of ARF and CRF.