| Abstract: Introduction Renal failure is one of the most important potential complications in the perioperative period. A substantial body of evidence supports the assertion that intra-abdominal hypertension can cause renal failure in the postoperative period.
The aim of the study was to determine the extent to which intra-abdominal hypertension was recognised as a cause of perioperative renal failure in the published literature.
Methods English language literature between 1994 and 2003 was searched using the Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases. Review articles focusing on perioperative renal failure were included and their impact factors were recorded. Each article was reviewed in depth to determine whether it noted the association between intra-abdominal hypertension and acute renal failure.
Results 28 review articles were included (mean 2.8 per year since 1994). The thirteen articles for which impact factors were available had a mean impact factor of 2.9 ± 1.8, median 2.3, and range 0.5-6.6. Of the twenty-eight review articles, one made reference to the association between intra-abdominal hypertension and renal failure (1). This article by Reddy et al. was in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 2002.
Conclusion Recent published reviews of perioperative renal failure have not recognised intra-abdominal hypertension as a cause of renal failure in the postoperative patient. The relationship obviously remains a mystery to many despite the existence of robust evidence in its favour (2-3).
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