Acute renal failure
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| Acute renal failure Classification and external resources | |
 | |
|---|---|
| ICD-10 | N17. |
| ICD-9 | 584 |
| DiseasesDB | 11263 |
| MedlinePlus | 000501 |
| eMedicine | med/1595 |
| MeSH | D007675 |
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Overview
Acute renal failure (ARF), also known as acute kidney failure, is a rapid loss of renal function due to damage to the kidneys, resulting in retention of nitrogenous (urea and creatinine) and non-nitrogenous waste products that are normally excreted by the kidney. Depending on the severity and duration of the renal dysfunction, this accumulation is accompanied by metabolic disturbances, such as metabolic acidosis (acidification of the blood) and hyperkalaemia (elevated potassium levels), changes in body fluid balance, and effects on many other organ systems. It can be characterised by oliguria or anuria (decrease or cessation of urine production), although nonoliguric ARF may occur. It is a serious disease and treated as a medical emergency.
Complete Differential Diagnosis of Acute Renal Failure
Common Causes
Acute renal failure is usually categorised (as in the flowchart below) according to pre-renal, renal and post-renal causes.
| Acute Renal Failure | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pre-renal | Renal | Post-renal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Pre-renal (causes in the blood supply):
- hypovolemia (decreased blood volume), usually from shock or dehydration and fluid loss or excessive diuretics use.
- hepatorenal syndrome in which renal perfusion is compromised in liver failure
- vascular problems, such as atheroembolic disease and renal vein thrombosis (which can occur as a complication of the nephrotic syndrome)
- Renal (damage to the kidney itself):
- infection usually sepsis (systemic inflammation due to infection),rarely of the kidney itself, termed pyelonephritis
- toxins or medication (e.g. some NSAIDs, aminoglycoside antibiotics, iodinated contrast, lithium)
- rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle tissue) - the resultant release of myoglobin in the blood affects the kidney; it can be caused by injury (especially crush injury and extensive blunt trauma), statins, stimulants and some other drugs
- hemolysis (breakdown of red blood cells) - the hemoglobin damages the tubules; it may be caused by various conditions such as sickle-cell disease, and lupus erythematosus
- multiple myeloma, either due to hypercalcemia or "cast nephropathy" (multiple myeloma can also cause chronic renal failure by a different mechanism)
- acute glomerulonephritis which may be due to a variety of causes, such as anti glomerular basement membrane disease/Goodpasture's syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis or acute lupus nephritis with systemic lupus erythematosus
- Post-renal (obstructive causes in the urinary tract) due to:
- medication interfering with normal bladder emptying.
- benign prostatic hypertrophy or prostate cancer.
- kidney stones.
- due to abdominal malignancy (e.g. ovarian cancer, colorectal cancer).
- obstructed urinary catheter.
Prerenal Causes
- Acute pancreatitis
- Aortic aneurysm
- Cirrhosis
- Dehydration
- Drugs such as diuretics
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Hemolysis
- Hepatorenal syndrome
- Hypovolemia
- Metrorrhagia
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Peritonitis
- Pre-eclampsia
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Renal artery stenosis
- Renal vein thrombosis
- Severe sodium and chloride loss
- Shock of various orgins
- Surgery
- Therapy with ACE inhibitors
- Trauma
- Water / electrolyte loss
Renal Causes
- Arteriosclerosis of the renal arteries
- Bilateral renal cortical necrosis
- Glomerulonephritis
- Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome
- Kidney transplant rejection
- Interstitial nephritis
- Malignant hypertension
- Occlusion of the renal arteries
- Polyarteritis nodosa PAN
- Pyelonephritis
- Scleroderma
- Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
- Tubulointerstitial renal failure
- Vasculitis
Postrenal Causes
- Bladder stone
- Bladder carcinoma
- Bladder infection
- Bladder neuropathy
- Colorectal cancer
- Multiple sclerosis
- Neurosyphillis
- Ovarian cancer
- Phimosis
- Prostatic hypertrophy
- Prostatitis
- Ruptured ureter
- Spinal cord stenosis
- Syringomyelia
- Tabes dorsalis
- Trabeculated bladder
- Urethral atresia
- Urethral trauma
- Urethral stricture
Diagnosis
Renal failure is generally diagnosed either when creatinine or blood urea nitrogen tests are markedly elevated in an ill patient, especially when oliguria is present. Previous measurements of renal function may offer comparison, which is especially important if a patient is known to have chronic renal failure as well. If the cause is not apparent, a large amount of blood tests and examination of a urine specimen is typically performed to elucidate the cause of acute renal failure, medical ultrasonography of the renal tract is essential to rule out obstruction of the urinary tract.
Consensus criteria[1][2] for the diagnosis of ARF are:
- Risk: serum creatinine increased 1.5 times OR urine production of <0.5 ml/kg body weight for 6 hours
- Injury: creatinine 2.0 times OR urine production <0.5 ml/kg for 12 h
- Failure: creatinine 3.0 times OR creatinine >355 μmol/l (with a rise of >44) or urine output below 0.3 ml/kg for 24 h
- Loss: persistent ARF or more than four weeks complete loss of kidney function
Kidney biopsy may be performed in the setting of acute renal failure, to provide a definitive diagnosis and sometimes an idea of the prognosis, unless the cause is clear and appropriate screening investigations are reassuringly negative.
Treatment
Acute renal failure may be reversible if treated promptly and appropriately. Resuscitation to normotension and a normal cardiac output is key. The main interventions are monitoring fluid intake and output as closely as possible; insertion of a urinary catheter is useful for monitoring urine output as well as relieving possible bladder outlet obstruction, such as with an enlarged prostate. In the absence of fluid overload, administering intravenous fluids is typically the first step to improve renal function. Fluid administration may be monitored with the use of a central venous catheter to avoid over- or under-replacement of fluid. If the cause is obstruction of the urinary tract, relief of the obstruction (with a nephrostomy or urinary catheter) may be necessary. Metabolic acidosis and hyperkalemia, the two most serious biochemical manifestations of acute renal failure, may require medical treatment with sodium bicarbonate administration and antihyperkalemic measures, unless dialysis is required.
Should hypotension prove a persistent problem in the fluid replete patient, inotropes such as norepinephrine and/or dobutamine may be given to improve cardiac output and hence renal perfusion. While a useful pressor, there is no evidence to suggest that dopamine is of any specific benefit,[3] and at least a suggestion of possible harm. A Swan-Ganz catheter may be used, to measure pulmonary artery occlusion pressure to provide a guide to left atrial pressure (and thus left heart function) as a target for inotropic support.
The use of diuretics such as furosemide, while widespread and sometimes convenient in ameliorating fluid overload, does not reduce the risk of complications and death.[4] In practice, diuretics may simply mask things, making it more difficult to judge the adequacy of resuscitation.
Lack of improvement with fluid resuscitation, therapy-resistant hyperkalemia, metabolic acidosis, or fluid overload may necessitate artificial support in the form of dialysis or hemofiltration. Depending on the cause, a proportion of patients will never regain full renal function, thus having end stage renal failure requiring lifelong dialysis or a kidney transplant.
History
Before the advancement of modern medicine, acute renal failure might be referred to as uremic poisoning. Uremia was the term used to describe the contamination of the blood with urine. Starting around 1847 this term was used to describe reduced urine output, now known as oliguria, which was thought to be caused by the urine's mixing with the blood instead of being voided through the urethra.
Acute renal failure due to acute tubular necrosis (ATN) was recognised in the 1940s in the United Kingdom, where crush victims during the Battle of Britain developed patchy necrosis of renal tubules, leading to a sudden decrease in renal function.[5] During the Korean and Vietnam wars, the incidence of ARF decreased due to better acute management and intravenous infusion of fluids.[6]
Acute Renal Failure Videos
Renal Failure
Acute Renal Failure 1
Acute Renal Failure 2
Acute Renal Failure 3
Acute Renal Failure 4
Acute Renal Failure 5
See also
References
- ↑ Bellomo R, Ronco C, Kellum JA, Mehta RL, Palevsky P; Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative workgroup. Acute renal failure - definition, outcome measures, animal models, fluid therapy and information technology needs: the Second International Consensus Conference of the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) Group. Crit Care. 2004 Aug;8(4):R204-12. Epub 2004 May 24. PMID 15312219 Full Text. Criteria for ARF (Figure).
- ↑ Lameire N, Van Biesen W, Vanholder R. Acute renal failure. Lancet 2005;365:417-30. PMID 15680458.
- ↑ Holmes CL, Walley KR (2003). "Bad medicine: low-dose dopamine in the ICU". Chest 123 (4): 1266–75. doi:10.1378/chest.123.4.1266. PMID 12684320.
- ↑ Uchino S, Doig GS, Bellomo R, et al (2004). "Diuretics and mortality in acute renal failure". Crit. Care Med. 32 (8): 1669–77. doi:10.1097/01.CCM.0000132892.51063.2F. PMID 15286542.
- ↑ Bywaters EG, Beall D (1941). "Crush injuries with impairment of renal function.". Br Med J (1): 427-32. PMID 9527411.
- ↑ Schrier RW, Wang W, Poole B, Mitra A (2004). "Acute renal failure: definitions, diagnosis, pathogenesis, and therapy". J. Clin. Invest. 114 (1): 5–14. doi:10.1172/JCI22353. PMID 15232604.
Organ failure | |
|---|---|
| General | Heart failure · Respiratory failure · Liver failure (Acute liver failure) · Renal failure (Acute renal failure, Chronic renal failure ) |
| Multiple | Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome |
Health Science · Medicine · Medical specialities · Intensive care medicine / Critical care medicine and Critical care nursing | |||||||
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| General terms | Intensive care unit (ICU) · Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) · Pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) · Coronary care unit (CCU) · Critical illness insurance | ||||||
| Conditions |
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| Diagnosis | Arterial blood gas · Arterial catheter · Blood cultures · Central venous catheter · Pulmonary artery catheter · Screening cultures | ||||||
| Life supporting treatments | Airway management · Chest tube · Dialysis · Enteral feeding · Goal-directed therapy · Induced coma · Mechanical ventilation · Therapeutic hypothermia · Total parenteral nutrition | ||||||
| Drugs | Analgesics · Antibiotics · Antithrombotics · Inotropes · Intravenous fluids · Neuromuscular-blocking drugs · Recombinant activated protein C · Sedatives · Stress ulcer prevention drugs · Vasopressors | ||||||
| ICU scoring systems | APACHE II · Glasgow Coma Scale · PIM2 · SAPS II · SAPS III · SOFA | ||||||
| Organisations | Society of Critical Care Medicine · Surviving Sepsis Campaign | ||||||
| Related specialties | Anesthesia · Cardiology · Internal medicine · Neurology · Pediatrics · Pulmonology · Surgery · Traumatology | ||||||
WikiDoc Research Resources for Acute renal failure | |
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| Articles on Acute renal failure | Most recent articles on Acute renal failure • Most cited articles on Acute renal failure • Review articles on Acute renal failure • Articles on Acute renal failure in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ |
| Media (Slides, Video, Images, MP3) on Acute renal failure | Powerpoint slides on Acute renal failure • Images of Acute renal failure • Photos of Acute renal failure • Podcasts & MP3s on Acute renal failure • Videos on Acute renal failure |
| Evidence Based Medicine Regarding Acute renal failure | Cochrane Collaboration on Acute renal failure • Bandolier on Acute renal failure • TRIP on Acute renal failure |
| Cost Effectiveness of Acute renal failure | Cost Effectiveness of Acute renal failure |
| Clinical Trials Involving Acute renal failure | Ongoing Trials on Acute renal failure at Clinical Trials.gov • Trial results on Acute renal failure • Clinical Trials on Acute renal failure at Google |
| Guidelines / Policies / Government Resources (FDA/CDC) Regarding Acute renal failure | US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Acute renal failure • NICE Guidance on Acute renal failure • NHS PRODIGY Guidance • FDA on Acute renal failure • CDC on Acute renal failure |
| Textbook Information on Acute renal failure | Books and Textbook Information on Acute renal failure |
| Pharmacology Resources on Acute renal failure | Dosing of Acute renal failure • Drug interactions with Acute renal failure • Side effects of Acute renal failure • Allergic reactions to Acute renal failure • Overdose information on Acute renal failure • Carcinogenicity information on Acute renal failure • Acute renal failure in pregnancy • Pharmacokinetics of Acute renal failure • |
| Genetics, Pharmacogenomics, and Proteinomics of Acute renal failure | Genetics of Acute renal failure • Pharmacogenomics of Acute renal failure • Proteomics of Acute renal failure |
| Newstories on Acute renal failure | Acute renal failure in the news • Be alerted to news on Acute renal failure • News trends on Acute renal failure |
| Commentary on Acute renal failure | Blogs on Acute renal failure |
| Patient Resources on Acute renal failure | Patient resources on Acute renal failure • Discussion groups on Acute renal failure • Patient Handouts on Acute renal failure • Directions to Hospitals Treating Acute renal failure • Risk calculators and risk factors for Acute renal failure |
| Healthcare Provider Resources on Acute renal failure | Symptoms of Acute renal failure • Causes & Risk Factors for Acute renal failure • Diagnostic studies for Acute renal failure • Treatment of Acute renal failure |
| Continuing Medical Education (CME) Programs on Acute renal failure | CME Programs on Acute renal failure |
| International Resources on Acute renal failure | Acute renal failure en Espanol • Acute renal failure en Francais |
| Business Resources on Acute renal failure | Acute renal failure in the Marketplace • Patents on Acute renal failure |
| Informatics Resources on Acute renal failure | List of terms related to Acute renal failure |
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Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
