Renal injury is associated with operative mortality after cardiac surgery for women and men

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute renal injury develops more frequently in women than in men after cardiac surgery and whether this complication is associated with operative mortality in women. Methods Prospectively collected data were evaluated from 9461 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery, cardiac valve surgery, or both (3080 women) and not receiving preoperative dialysis. The glomerular filtration rate was estimated by using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equations with the last plasma creatinine level before surgical intervention (baseline) and the highest level of the first postoperative week. The primary renal injury outcome was the composite end point of renal injury according to RIFLE criteria (estimated glomerular filtration rate decrease >50% from baseline value) or failure. Results Thirty-day operative mortality and renal injury were more common in women than in men (5.9% vs 2.8%, P = .01; 5.1% vs 3.6%, P