Impact of lung disease on short-term survival in hospitalized patients with acute renal failure

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe condition with high morbidity and mortality. Pulmonary diseases (PD) may influence its progression due to shared pathophysiological mechanisms, but evidence regarding their impact on short-term survival remains limited. Objective: To evaluate the influence of PD on short-term survival in hospitalized patients with AKI. Material and method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 5060 AKI patients, comparing those with unspecified PD (n = 1538) and those without PD (n = 3522). Survival at 14 days was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Clinical and laboratory variables were included. Results: The median survival was lower in patients with PD (11.24 days) compared to those without PD (13.47 days) (p = 0.003). PD increased the risk of death by 31.4% (HR: 1.314; 95% CI: 1.076-1.606; p = 0.008). Variables associated with higher mortality included anion gap (HR: 1.083; p < 0.001), blood urea nitrogen (HR: 1.012; p < 0.001), and serum potassium (HR: 1.497; p < 0.001). Oxygen saturation (HR: 0.981; p < 0.001) and temperature (HR: 0.899; p < 0.001) showed protective effects. Conclusions: PD is a risk factor for short-term survival in AKI patients. It is suggested that timely monitoring and management could improve clinical outcomes.