Transient Acute Kidney Injury After Cardiac Surgery Does Not Independently Affect Postoperative Outcomes

Borracci and colleagues evaluated the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in 418 patients during in-hospital care after cardiac surgery. The authors found AKI in 17.5 % of patients when considering the worst kidney function measurement in the postoperative period compared to 4.5 % of patients when only considering kidney function at discharge. Transient AKI did not affect in-hospital outcomes independently of the patient’s preoperative renal function.