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Acute kidney injury
From WikEM
								(Redirected from Renal Failure)
												
				Contents
Background
- Majority of cases of community-acquired ARF is secondary to volume depletion
 
RIFLE Classification
- Risk - Serum creatinine increased 1.5x baseline
 - Injury - Serum creatinine increased 2.0x baseline
 - Failure - Serum creatinine increased 3.0x baseline OR creatinine >4 and acute increase >0.5
 - Loss - Complete loss of kidney function for >4wk
 - ESRD - Need for renal replacement therapy for >3mo
 
Chronic Kidney Disease Stages
- Useful if patient's baseline creatinine is unknown
- Stage 1: Kidney damage (e.g. proteinuria) and normal GFR; GFR >90
 - Stage 2: Kidney damage (e.g. proteinuria) and mild decrease in GFR; GFR 60-89
 - Stage 3: Moderate decrease in GFR; GFR >30-59
 - Stage 4: Severe decrease in GFR; GFR 15-29
 - Stage 5: Kidney failure (dialysis or kidney transplant needed); GFR <15
 
 
Risk Factors
- Radiocontrast agents
- Especiallyif GFR <60, hypovolemic
 
 - Atherosclerosis
 - Chronic hypertension
 - Chronic kidney disease
 - NSAIDs
 - ACEI/ARB
 - Sepsis
 - Hypercalcemia
 - Hepatorenal syndrome
 
Clinical Features
- Acute renal failure itself has few symptoms until severe uremia develops:
- Nausea/vomiting, drowsiness, fatigue, confusion, coma
 
 - Patients more likely to present with symptoms related to underlying cause:
- Prerenal
- Thirst, orthostatic light-headedness, decreasing urine output
 
 - Intrinsic
- Flank pain, hematuria
- Nephrolithiasis
 - Papillary necrosis
 - Crystal-induced nephropathy
 
 - Myalgias, seizures, recreational intoxication
- Pigment-induced ARF (rhabdomyolysis)
 
 - Darkening urine and edema (esp with preceding pharyngitis or cutaneous infection)
- Acute glomerulonephritis
 
 - Fever, arthralgia, rash 
- Acute interstitial nephritis
 
 - Cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis
- Goodpasture, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's)
 
 
 - Flank pain, hematuria
 - Postrenal
- Alternating oliguria and polyuria is pathognomonic of obstruction
 - Anuria
 
 
 - Prerenal
 
Etiologies
Prerenal
- Hypovolemia
- GI: decreased intake, vomiting and diarrhea
 - Hemorrhage
 - Pharmacologic: diuretics
 - Third spacing
 - Skin losses: fever, burns
 - Miscellaneous
- Hypoaldosteronism
 - Salt-losing nephropathy
 - Postobstructive diuresis
 
 
 - Hypotension
- Sepsis
 - Decreased cardiac output
 - Hepatorenal Syndrome
- Ischemia/infarction
 - Valvulopathy
 
 - Pharmacologic
- Beta-blockers
 - Calcium-channel blockers
 - Antihypertensive medications
 
 - High output heart failure
- Thyrotoxicosis
 - AV fistula
 
 
 - Renal artery and small-vessel disease
- Embolism: thrombotic, septic, cholesterol
 - Thrombosis: atherosclerosis, vasculitis, sickle cell disease
 - Dissection
 - Pharmacologic
 - Microvascular thrombosis
 - Hypercalcemia
 
 
Intrinsic
- Tubular diseases
- Ischemic acute tubular necrosis
- Caused by more advanced disease due to the prerenal causes
 
 
 - Ischemic acute tubular necrosis
 - Nephrotoxins
- Aminoglycosides, radiocontrast, amphotericin B, heme pigments (rhabdomyolysis, hemolysis)
 - Obstruction
- Uric acid, calcium oxalate from Ethylene Glycol Toxicity, Multiple myeloma (immunoglobin light chains), amyloid
 - Pharmacologic: sulfonamide, triamterene, acyclovir, indinavir
 
 
 - Interstitial diseases
- Acute interstitial nephritis: typically a drug reaction (NSAIDs, Penicillins and antibiotics, Diuretics, phenytoin)
 - Infection: bilateral pyelonephritis, Legionella, Hantavirus
 - Infiltrative disease: sarcoidosis, lymphoma
 - Autoimmune diseases: SLE
 
 - Glomerular diseases
- Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis
- Goodpasture, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's) HSP, SLE, membranoproliferative GN
 
 - Postinfectious glomerulonephritis
 
 - Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis
 - Small-vessel diseases
- Microvascular thrombosis
- Preeclampsia, HUS, DIC, TTP, vasculitis (PAN, SCD, atheroembolism)
 
 - Malignant hypertension
 - Scleroderma
 - Renal vein thrombosis
 
 - Microvascular thrombosis
 
Postrenal
- Infants and children
- Urethra and bladder outlet
- Anatomic malformations
- Urethral atresia
 - Meatal stenosis
 - Anterior and posterior urethral valves
 
 
 - Anatomic malformations
 - Ureter
- Anatomic malformations
- Vesicoureteral reflux (female preponderance)
 - Ureterovesical junction obstruction
 - Ureterocele
 - Retroperitoneal tumor
 
 
 - Anatomic malformations
 
 - Urethra and bladder outlet
 - All ages
- Various locations in GU tract
- Trauma
 - Blood clot
 
 - Urethra and bladder outlet
- Phimosis or urethral stricture (male preponderance)
 - Neurogenic bladder
- Diabetes mellitus, spinal cord disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's
 - Pharmacologic: anticholinergics, a-adrenergic antagonists, opioids
 
 
 
 - Various locations in GU tract
 - Adults
- Urethra and bladder outlet
- BPH
 - Cancer of prostate, bladder, cervix, or colon
 - Obstructed catheters
 
 - Ureter
- Calculi, uric acid crystals
 - Papillary necrosis
- SCD, DM, pyelonephritis
 
 - Tumor: Ureter, uterus, prostate, bladder, colon, rectum; retroperitoneal lymphoma
 - Retroperitoneal fibrosis: idiopathic, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, propranolol
 - Stricture: TB, radiation, schistosomiasis, NSAIDs
 - Miscellaneous
- Aortic aneurysm
 - Pregnant uterus
 - IBD
 - Trauma
 
 
 
 - Urethra and bladder outlet
 
Evaluation
- Prerenal
- BUN/creatinine ratio > 20
 - FeNa <1% ((urine sodium/plasma sodium) / (urine creatinine / serum creatinine))
- < 2% for neonates
 
 - Urine osm >500
 - Urine sodium < 20 mEq/L
 - Specific gravity > 1.020
 - Fractional excretion of urea < 35%
 - Microscopic analysis
- Hyaline casts
 
 
 - Instrinsic
- FeNa >1%
- > 2.5% for neonates
 
 - Urine Osm <350
 - Urine sodium > 40 mEq/L
 - Specific gravity < 1.020
 - Fractional excretion of urea > 50%
 - Microscopic analysis
- Acute glomerulonephritis: RBCs, casts
 - Acute tubular necrosis: protein, tubular epithelial cells
 
 
 - FeNa >1%
 - Postrenal
- FeNa >1%
 - Urine Osm <350
 
 
Work-up
- Urine
 - Prostate exam
 - Urinalysis, urine sodium, urine creatinine, urine urea
 - ECG (hyperkalemia)
 - Chronic renal failure features
- Anemia, thrombocytopenia
 - Iron studies with low Fe, low TIBC, low iron saturation, normal ferritin
 - Secondary rise in PTH, high phos, low calcium
 
 
Imaging
- CXR
 - Evidence of volume overload, pneumonia
 - US
- Test of choice in setting of acute renal failure
 - Bladder size (post-void)
 - Hydronephrosis
 - IVC collapsibility (prerenal)
 
 - CT
- Useful to determine cause of post renal failure (identification of abdominal masses etc.)
 - Should generally not be used with IV contrast due to potential risk for CIN
 - Indicated if hydronephrois found on ultrasound in order to define the location of obstruction
 
 
Management
Treat underlying cause
- Prerenal: IVF
 - Intrinsic: Depends on cause
 - Obstruction:
- Note: Postobstructive diuresis can result in significant volume loss and death
- Typically occurs when obstruction has been prolonged / has resulted in renal failure
 - Admit patients with persistent diuresis of >250 mL/h for >2hr
 
 - Foley Catheter, consider Coude Catheter
 - Suprapubic (if Coude fails)
 
 - Note: Postobstructive diuresis can result in significant volume loss and death
 
Dialysis
- Indicated for:
- A: Acidosis (severe)
 - E: Electrolyte abnormality (e.g. uncontrolled hyperkalemia)
 - I: Ingestions (lithium, ASA, methanol, ethylene glycol, theophylline)
 - O: Overload (volume) with persistent hypoxia
 - U: Uremic pericarditis/encephalopathy/bleeding dyscrasia
 - Also:
- Na <115 or >165 mEq/L
 - creatinine > 10
 - BUN >100
 
 
 
Disposition
- Admit
 

