RESUMEN
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence, survival rate and risk factors of acute renal failure (ARF) in patients following cardiac arrest. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 132 cases of comatose survival after cardiac arrest and these patients had received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in a tertiary emergency department from April 1997 to May 2007. We analyzed the basic data and clinical data, and we compared the patients who had developed ARF (ARF group) following CPR with those who had not (the non-ARF group). RESULTS: Out of the 132 comatose survivors, ARF occurred in 54 patients (40.9%). The survival rate was higher in the non-ARF group (52.6%) than that in the the ARF group (16.7%) (p 5000 IU/L (OR 8.527, 95% CI 1.78-40.91; p=0.043) were independent predictors of ARF. However, a history of coronary artery disease was not independently associated with renal failure, although it was more frequently found in patients with ARF (the ARF group). CONCLUSION: ARF occurred commonly in the post-resuscitation period. The survival rate was higher in the non-ARF group than that in the ARF group. The major factors contributing to ARF were both baseline renal insufficiency and a peak creatine kinase level > 5000 IU/L.