ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The use of ICD9-CM for the classification of disease has been introduced in Italy. A retrospective study has been performed to evaluate the incidence of Acute Renal Failure Dialysis treated (ARFD) in Piedmont (4,500,000 inhabitants) and to evaluate the use of ICD9-CM for the classification of Acute Renal Failure (ARF) in the compilation of Hospital Discharge Sheets (SDOs). METHODS: The Piedmont Renal Transplant Registry was used to look for episodes of ARFD in the Region in 1997. All cases of ARF (584,5,6,7,8,9- 997.5- 958.5- 788.9- 634.3-639,3-669.3) were looked for in SDOs of all admissions to hospitals in the Region in the same period. RESULTS: 646 episodes of ARFD were found in the Piedmont Registry, that is an incidence of 142 episodes/million/year. 830 episodes of ARF (184 episodes/million/year) were found in an analysis of SDOs. It is impossible to find cases of ARFD from an analysis of SDO data. CONCLUSIONS: The ICD9-CM system, in Piedmont, in 1997, wasn't well utilized and the data are not useful for epidemiological studies unless further education in their use has been carried out. The analysis of the Piedmont Registry evidences that in the Region all the cases of advanced ARF (creatinine > 5 mg%) are treated by Dialysis. This may indicate a good performance of nephrological care, but the data have to be confirmed, because the incidence of ARFD is higher than in other European countries.
