Renal failure, acute prerenal azotemia

Patients with prerenal azotemia have urinary sodium levels of less than 20 mEq/liter, consistent with normal tubular function. In contrast, patients with either acute renal failure or postrenal azotemia have urinary sodium levels greater than... 

Monitoring changes in UOP can help diagnose the cause of ARF. Acute anuria (less than 50 mL urine/day) is secondary to complete urinary obstruction or a catastrophic event (e.g., shock). Oliguria (400 to 500 mL urine/day) suggests prerenal azotemia. Nonoliguric renal failure (more... 

Common laboratory tests are used to classify the cause of ARF. Functional ARF, which is not included in this table, would have laboratory values similar to those seen in prerenal azotemia. However, the urine osmolality-to-plasma osmolality ratios may not exceed 1.5, depending on the circulating levels of antidiuretic hormone. The laboratory results listed under acute intrinsic renal failure are those seen in acute tubular necrosis, the most common cause of acute intrinsic renal failure. 

Patients with nephrotic syndrome can develop acute renal failure as a consequence of intravascular hypovolemia and/or sepsis with subsequent prerenal azotemia or acute tubular necrosis. Renal hypoperfusion in these patients can be potentiated by the administration of diuretics, inhibitors of angiotensin-converting... 

Laboratory Test Prerenal Azotemia Acute Intrinsic Renal Failure Postrenal Obstruction... 

Nephrotoxins or ischemic disorders can initiate acute renal failure. Shock, hemorrhage, septicemia, or vasodilation due to hypertensive medication can precipitate ischemic acute renal failure. Systemic reactions to certain drugs and nephrotoxins such as aminoglycoside antibiotics and heavy metals lead to acute renal failure. The extent of retention of creatinine and urea in blood is directly related to the severity of acute renal failure. This condition is not readily reversible and, as such, should be distinguished from reversible phenomena such as prerenal or postrenal azotemia, in which there is also an increase in levels of plasma urea and creatinine (13). In volume-depleted states, for example, diarrhea, the kidney is hypoprefused. This results in increased back diffusion of urea into the circulation from the tubular fluid because of the reduced urine flow. In addition to an increase in urea levels in circulation, there is also a slow increase in creatinine levels. Plasma urea and creatinine levels can be restored to normal within 24 hours by appropriate fluid and electrolyte replacement in prerenal azotemia. In condi-... 

Studies of the pathophysiology of acute renal failure has classically considered both tubular and vascular mechanisms [227,228]. In vitro techniques isolating either the vascular or tubular components have been developed. For example, the use of isolated proximal tubules in suspension or in culture allows the study of tubular mechanisms of injury in the absence of vascular factors [229] [230]. There are both in vitro and in vivo models to study vascular injury in the kidney. In vitro models include the study of vascular smooth muscle cells or endothelial cells in culture. In this section, the in vivo methods to evaluate the renal micro-circulation will be discussed. This is of relevance as many nephrotoxins exert their deleterious effects through pharmacologic actions on the resistance vasculature with parenchymal injury occurring as a consequence of ischemia. In clinical practice nephrotoxins may cause prerenal azotemia as a result of increased renal vascular resistance. Nephrotoxins that cause acute renal failure on a vascular basis include prostaglandin inhibitors e.g. aspirin, non-steroidal anti-... 

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