The incidence of acute renal failure (ARF) is increasing and will nearly double over the next decades as the population ages. As a result of ARF, patients will have longer hospital stays and may require dialysis as outpatients. The aim of this cohort study was to examine the renal recovery after the hospital discharge of surviving critically ill patients who developed ARF that required dialysis. During the 3-year study, there were 2574 patients admitted to the intensive care unit; 308 (12%) patients developed ARF and needed dialysis, 86 (28%) patients survived to hospital discharge and 40 (47%) patients continued to require dialysis after discharge. There were no differences of age or gender in the dialysis group from the non-dialysis group. In addition, there were no differences between the groups in terms of the severity of illness, use of mechanical ventilation, history of hypertension, creatinine levels, urine output or use of inotropes. It was not uncommon for surviving patients with ARF that required dialysis to be dialysis dependent upon hospital discharge, which represents an important cause of chronic kidney disease.