Clinical Significance of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Admitted for Worsening Chronic Heart Failure

We prospectively investigated the incidence and outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) in 141 consecutive patients admitted for worsening chronic heart failure. Method and Results: AKI was defined as a greater than 50% increase in creatinine level from the baseline or an absolute increase of 0.3 mg/dl or more within 48 hours after admission. AKI occurred in 16 (11.3%) patients. In a multivariate logistic analysis, elevated urinary albumin excretion were independently (P = 0.04) associated with the development of AKI. Patients who developed AKI had a higher risk for cardiac mortality compared with those who did not (Figure). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, AKI was independently (P = 0.02) associated with cardiac mortality. Conclusion: AKI may occur sometimes and may be associated with cardiac mortality in this population.