Abstract: Objective To evaluate the application of RIFLE criteria in the nephrological consultation in patients with acute kidney injury after surgery. Methods  A total of 179 patients with acute kidney injury after surgery were retrospectively analyzed， and then classified as risk group， injury group， and failure group according to the RIFLE criteria based on the situation at the time of consultation. Mortality， hospital stay and others prognosis indexes among three groups were compared. Results Overall mortality was 32.4% and 60 days′  followup mortality was 38.5%. And the mortality in failure group (132 cases) was 37.9% compared with risk group (16.7%) and injury group (17.1%). There was no significant difference in hospital stay among three groups. Conclusion In this setting， the survival rate might be improved with early nephrological consultation and appropriate therapeutic measures. The RIFLE classification was a useful tool during the consultation.

Key words: acute kidney injury, referral and consultation, prognosis