Acute kidney injury and critical cardiac disease.

The field of cardiac intensive care continues to advance in tandem with congenital heart surgery. The survival of patients with critical congenital heart disease is seldom in question. Consequently, the focus has now shifted to that of morbidity reduction and eventual elimination. Acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery is associated with adverse outcomes, including prolonged intensive care and hospital stays, diminished quality of life, and increased long-term mortality. Acute kidney injury occurs frequently, complicating 30% to 40% of adult and pediatric cardiac surgeries. Patients who require dialysis are at high risk of mortality, but even minor degrees of postoperative AKI portend a significant increase in mortality and morbidity.