Acute renal failure patients submitted to conservative and dialytic treatment in an intensive care unit

Twenty to 25% of ICU patients have acute renal failure (ARF). Dialytic treatment in ARF patients reduces mortality and is well used worldwide. The objective of this study was to analyze ICU patients with a creatinine rate above 1.3 ng/dl who were treated and nontreated with dialysis. The epidemiologic study was of 392 inpatients from the ICU of the HEG where 42% had ARF diagnosed. Only 29.1% were submitted to hemodialysis as inpatients. We can realize the high creatinine rate before dialysis treatment and the lower ICU stay of patients that did not need this treatment. The ARF incidence in the ICU of the HEG was higher than that in the literature, but dialysis was less used. This can be easily explained by the low availability of necessary equipment. Sepsis is the first cause of ARF, but in this study it is the number two cause, especially in dialytic patients. Mortality was similar to other studies. In conclusion, the ARF mortality rate is still high, even with new dialytic treatments. Dialysis is therefore associated with better life quality and less time in hospital.