Is jaunduce in kidney failure a sign that the body is shutting down?

Possibly: Jaundice if related to end stage liver disease combinded with kidney failure is a very troubling combination with a very high death rate. That being said, if you are just guessing that a skin color change is jaundice (high biliribun) then you might be mistaken and the situation not a dire. Talk to your doctor.

Means Liver Failure: Jaundice refers to the body becoming yellow in appearance because too much pigment from old red blood cells is not handled normally by the liver +/or bile duct. So it means there is too much destruction of blood cells, or a problem with the liver/bile duct. Jaundice may be separate from or connected with the kidney failure. If they are linked, it usually does mean that disease is far advanced.