Azotemia in Cancer Patients During Inpatient Rehabilitation
Ying Guo, MD*,
Susan Hainley, APN,
Lynn Palmer, PhD,
Eduardo Bruera, MD
Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: yguo{at}mdanderson.org.
 |
Abstract |
|---|
This paper presents a study of the relationship between prerenal azotemia and rehabilitation outcomes of cancer patients. A retrospective chart review of 70 patients who underwent inpatient rehabilitation in a tertiary cancer center was undertaken. Eight patients with creatinine values >1.5 were excluded. The remaining 62 patients were divided into 2 groups according to the blood urea nitrogen/creatinine (BUN/Cr) ratio: 27 (44%) in the prerenal azotemia group (BUN/Cr 
20) and 35 (56%) in the non-azotemic group (BUN/Cr <20). Age, gender, <10 g/dL of hemoglobin, co-morbidity (diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension), discharge destiny and median rehabilitation length of stay were not significantly different in these 2 groups. Prerenal azotemia was present in a significant number of cancer patients, but it did not impact the length of rehabilitation stay or discharge destiny.
