Evaluation of research results and impacts is a topic of growing interest to public and private organizations worldwide. Indeed, it can be said that evaluation initiatives are a top priority for many research and development institutions if they are to assure social legitimation.The following general principles are important to an understanding of the evaluation universe:

150Acute renal failure is a severe condition that occurs in 2.0% to 7.0% of patients during hospital stay [1][2][3] . In 18.0% to 47.0% of cases, it is related to a surgical event, and acute tubular necrosis is the main type of lesion 1,2,4 . The great variation in the incidence of acute renal failure among the studies presents a multifactor profile, including different diagnostic criteria, such as the study design, inclusion and exclusion criteria, profile of the patients and of the centers involved in the sample, hindering study comparisons 5 .In cardiac surgery, its incidence ranges from 3.5% to 31.0% [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] , and the need for dialysis occurs in 0.3% to 15.0% of cases [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] . The presence of acute renal failure in these patients increases the mortality rate from 0.4% to 4.4% to 1.3% to 22.3%, and when dialysis is required, these rates reach 25.0% to 88.9% [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] , making it an independent risk factor for mortality, according to Chertow et al 16 , and increasing 8-fold the death odds ratio among these patients.The presence of conditions that determine hypoperfusion and renal ischemia are directly related to the development of ARF. Patients who present with reduced renal functional reserve, in whom a reduction occurs in the glomerular filtration rate without serum creatinine elevation above normal values, are more likely to have ARF even with minor renal lesions 16 . Preoperative and intraoperative factors, such as age, previous level of creatinine, diabetes mellitus, cardiac output, the duration of extracorporeal circulation, and the use of the intraaortic balloon, are influencial in the development of ARF [5][6][7][8][10][11][12]19 . The severity of ARF may increase with the occurrence of complications in the postoperative period, such as infections, hemorrhage, and the use of nephrotoxic substances 20 .In Brazil, few studies have reported the incidence of ARF after cardiac surgery, its risk factors, and its outcomes. The great impact of ARF in the outcomes of cardiac surgery demand its study in our population, encouraging to the elaboration of this study, which aims at identifying the incidence, risk factors, duration of ICU stay, and mortality due to ARF after myocardial coronary artery bypass surgery in a university hospital in Brazil. MethodsFrom 10/1/2001 to 9/30/2002, 223 of 247 patients undergoing myocardial coronary artery bypass surgery were prospectively studied. Exclusion criteria were: surgery without extracorporeal circulation (12 patients), death within the first 24h after surgery ConclusionAcute renal failure after myocardial coronary artery bypass surgery is a frequent complication associated with a high mortality rate. The independent risk factors are age, previous renal failure, and the need for inotropic drugs.

A nefropatia induzida por contraste iodado (NIC) é uma causa de injúria renal aguda (IRA) historicamente frequente, porém sua incidência vem sendo questionada principalmente diante de novas tecnologias, melhor entendimento da doença e uma curva de aprendizado por parte das equipes médicas intervencionistas. Ela é definida pela elevação de creatinina em ao menos 0,5 mg/dL ou 25% do valor basal. Quando não for possível definir com precisão de que a IRA foi decorrente do uso de contraste iodado utilizamos o termo “nefropatia associada ao contraste iodado”. A ocorrência de NIC está relacionada a desfechos negativos, incluindo mortalidade. O principal fator de risco é a disfunção renal, seja na forma de injúria renal aguda (IRA) ou doença renal crônica (DRC) e, no seu pior cenário, o indivíduo pode necessitar de terapia de substituição renal. Os outros fatores de risco podem ser separados entre aqueles relacionados ao paciente e os relacionados ao contraste iodado. Uma vez instalada, a NIC não tem tratamento específico, portanto o foco deve ser a prevenção. Dentre as principais medidas não farmacológicas, recomenda-se reduzir, se possível, o volume do contraste iodado e não utilizar os contrastes de alta osmolaridade. Dentre as medidas farmacológicas, a única recomendada até o momento é a expansão volêmica com salina a 0,9% antes e após o uso parenteral do contraste iodado.