Renal failure and fluid shifts following vascular surgery

The morbidity and mortality of acute renal failure (ARF) after vascular surgery was recognized in the earliest series describing aortic reconstruction (1-3). With better understanding of perioperative fluid shifts, the incidence of renal dysfunction has subsequently fallen, but ARF remains a frequent complication after vascular surgery (415). Because of the limited ability to alter the course of established ARF and the high mortality associated with ARF after vascular surgery, it is imperative that the vascular surgeon take measures to prevent this complication.