Cardiovascular disease and renal insufficiency: special considerations with cardiac surgery

Cardiovascular disease is an important cause of mortality in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. This review discusses cardiac surgery in the CKD population and considers postoperative acute renal failure (ARF). CKD patients have worse outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and cardiac valvular surgery than the general population. However, surgical revascularization is an effective treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD) in this population and may be associated with improved survival over percutaneous intervention (PCI) in advanced CKD. Cardiac surgery in the CKD population requires careful perioperative planning and management. Acute renal failure (ARF) is a serious complication following cardiac surgery, occurring in 1 to 8% of cases. Management of postoperative ARF is largely supportive and emphasis is placed on preoperative risk stratification and prevention.