Cardiac failure results in reduced systemic blood pressure and as a result, reduced organ perfusion. The kidneys are susceptible to falls in delivery of oxygen and glucose, in particular the renal medulla.
Cardiac failure therefore results in prerenal failure which can be reversed by restoring cardiac function. However drugs such as dopamine, which may be used to raise systemic blood pressure, have a renal vasoconstrictive action in doses above 3-5 μg/kg/min and therefore may contribute to renal hypoperfusion.