Aetiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of acute renal failure in an intensive care unit

Abstract

Over a period of 2 years, 82 patients out of 2,390 (3.43%) admitted to an intensive care unit developed acute renal failure (ARF). The diagnosis of ARF was based on the usual criteria of oliguria, a rising blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, urine sodium concentration greater than 20 mmol/l and a U P osmolality ratio less than 1.1. In 9.2% of patients the latter two criteria were misleading. Sepsis was the commonest cause of vasomotor nephropathy but in 20.7% potentially nephrotoxic agents had been administered before development of ARF. Overall mortality was 73.2%, with patients older than 50 years of age having the highest mortality. ARF is associated with prolonged bed occupancy—an average of 59.8 days for the dialysed patients with ARF versus an average length of stay of 8.4 days for the hospital overall.