ABSTRACT Introduction: Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CSA-AKI) is a powerful predictor of perioperative outcomes. We evaluated the burden of CSA-AKI in patients with preserved baseline renal function. Methods: The data of 2,162 adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery from January 2005 to December 2020 were analyzed. Logistic regression models were used to determine predictors of CSA-AKI and their associations with hospital mortality up to 30 days. Results: The prevalence of acute kidney injury was 43.0%, and 2.0% of patients required renal replacement therapy. Hospital mortality rate was 5.6% (non-acute kidney injury = 2.0% vs. CSA-AKI = 10.4%, P<0.001), and any degree of CSA-AKI was associated with a significant increase in death rates (stage 1 = 4.3%, stage 2 = 23.9%, stage 3 = 59.7%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified age, obesity, left ventricular dysfunction, previous cardiac surgery, and cardiopulmonary bypass duration as predictors of CSA-AKI. Moreover, CSA-AKI was confirmed as independent predictor of hospital mortality for stage 1 (odds ratio, 2.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.16 to 3.51; P=0.013), stage 2 (odds ratio, 9.18; 95% confidence interval, 4.54 to 18.58; P<0.001), and stage 3 (odds ratio, 37.72; 95% confidence interval, 18.87 to 75.40; P<0.001) patients. Conclusion: Age, obesity, left ventricular dysfunction, previous cardiac surgery, and cardiopulmonary bypass duration are independent predictors of CSA-AKI in patients with preserved baseline renal function. The development of CSA-AKI is significantly associated with worse outcomes, and there is a dose-response relationship between acute kidney injury stages and hospital mortality.