Fractional Excretion of Sodium in Acute Renal Failure

Abstract

<h3>To the Editor.</h3> —In the April 1980Archives(140;531-533), Fang et al underlined the low fractional excretion of sodium (FE_Na) values that they found in all 12 cases of contrast media-induced acute renal failure; they said this finding is characteristic of contrast media-induced acute renal failure. We would like to juxtapose our findings in an already presented prospective study.¹In this study, we found that in five of seven cases of acute renal failure caused by contrast media, the FE_Navalues fluctuated definitely above 1. In fact, in two of our patients, the FE_Navalues were 6.89 and 6.95, respectively. The two patients with FE_Navalues below 1 had less serious clinical features. The biochemical disturbances, on the other hand, lasted for only 24 hours. The only oliguric patient belonged to the group with high FE_Navalues, while all the rest of the patients