Abstract Background Numerous studies have evaluated the prevalence and importance of mineral and bone disorders among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, little is known about dysregulated mineral and bone metabolism in acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods We evaluated the association between mineral and bone metabolites and clinical outcomes in 158 patients who underwent cardiac surgery and developed AKI between June 2014 and January 2016. The baseline characteristics of the patients were recorded, and the levels of mineral and bone metabolites, including calcium, phosphate, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP-5b) and C-terminal fibroblast growth factor 23 (cFGF23) were measured within 12 h after establishing the clinical diagnosis. Results The serum phosphate, iPTH and cFGF23 levels were significantly associated with the 28-day mortality (phosphate: Hazard Ratio [HR] =2.620, 95% CI: 1.083 to 6.338, p = 0.035; iPTH: HR = 1.044, 95% CI: 1.001 to 1.090, p = 0.046; cFGF23: HR = 1.367, 95% CI: 1.168 to 1.599, p