The economics of renal failure and kidney disease in critically ill patients.

The kidney is an organ of opportunity cost in the sense that its function is often sacrificed in exchange for the preservation of function of another organ, organ system, or multiorgan process. The ICU setting represents the intersection of multiple organ systems that may result in kidney disease. When the severity of acute kidney injury warrants consideration of renal replacement therapy (RRT), multiple modalities such as peritoneal dialysis, intermittent hemodialysis, and continuous RRT are considered. In this article, the economic issues germane to AKI and its treatment in the ICU setting are presented.