Acute renal failure in an intensive care unit: incidence, prediction and outcome.

A review of the case notes of 475 patients with no history of renal disorder admitted to an intensive care unit, showed that 23% (109) developed acute renal failure. This complication occurred more commonly in patients with major burns (75%), and following surgery to the abdominal aorta (38%), but less commonly after self-poisoning episodes (5%). Scores were provided from stepwise multiple regression analysis which were derived from the diagnostic group, the presence of sepsis, the presence of systolic hypotension and age, and correctly predicted development of acute renal failure in 79% of the cases studied. Attempted prophylaxis appears to have little effect on the incidence of acute renal failure whilst dialysis reduced the mortality from 95% to 72%. Use of the scoring system to allow earlier diagnosis and treatment of acute renal failure could reduce the present mortality by 43%.