Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 18 views

    Acute Kidney Injury

    Uploaded by

    baskal27
    Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure, is a rapidly progressive loss of renal function characterized by decreased urine production and disturbances to body water and fluids and electrolyte levels. AKI can be caused by problems affecting blood flow to the kidneys or from toxins overwhelming the kidneys. Symptoms of AKI include changes to urination, fluid retention, fatigue, confusion and other issues stemming from the kidneys' inability to filter waste from the blood. Dialysis may be necessary to support kidney function until the underlying cause of AKI can be addressed and the kidneys can potentially recover.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Acute Kidney Injury

    Uploaded by

    baskal27
    18 views3 pages
    Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure, is a rapidly progressive loss of renal function characterized by decreased urine production and disturbances to body water and fluids and electrolyte levels. AKI can be caused by problems affecting blood flow to the kidneys or from toxins overwhelming the kidneys. Symptoms of AKI include changes to urination, fluid retention, fatigue, confusion and other issues stemming from the kidneys' inability to filter waste from the blood. Dialysis may be necessary to support kidney function until the underlying cause of AKI can be addressed and the kidneys can potentially recover.

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure, is a rapidly progressive loss of renal function characterized by decreased urine production and disturbances to body water and fluids and electrolyte levels. AKI can be caused by problems affecting blood flow to the kidneys or from toxins overwhelming the kidneys. Symptoms of AKI include changes to urination, fluid retention, fatigue, confusion and other issues stemming from the kidneys' inability to filter waste from the blood. Dialysis may be necessary to support kidney function until the underlying cause of AKI can be addressed and the kidneys can potentially recover.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    18 views3 pages

    Acute Kidney Injury

    Uploaded by

    baskal27
    Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure, is a rapidly progressive loss of renal function characterized by decreased urine production and disturbances to body water and fluids and electrolyte levels. AKI can be caused by problems affecting blood flow to the kidneys or from toxins overwhelming the kidneys. Symptoms of AKI include changes to urination, fluid retention, fatigue, confusion and other issues stemming from the kidneys' inability to filter waste from the blood. Dialysis may be necessary to support kidney function until the underlying cause of AKI can be addressed and the kidneys can potentially recover.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    Acute kidney injury

    Main article: Acute kidney injury


    Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure (ARF),
    is a rapidly progressive loss of renal function, generally characterized
    by oliguria (decreasedurine production, quantified as less than
    400 mL per day in adults,[1] less than 0.5 mL/kg/h in children or less than
    1 mL/kg/h in infants); body water and body fluids disturbances;
    and electrolyte derangement. AKI can result from a variety of causes,
    generally classified as prerenal, intrinsic, and postrenal. An underlying
    cause must be identified and treated to arrest the progress,
    and dialysis may be necessary to bridge the time gap required for
    treating these fundamental causes.
    Symptoms
    Symptoms can vary from person to person. Someone in early stage
    kidney disease may not feel sick or notice symptoms as they occur.
    When kidneys fail to filter properly, waste accumulates in the blood and
    the body, a condition called azotemia. Very low levels of azotaemia may
    produce few, if any, symptoms. If the disease progresses, the symptoms
    become noticeable. Renal failure accompanied by noticeable symptoms
    is termed uraemia.
    Symptoms of kidney failure include:

     High levels of urea in the blood, which can result in:


    Vomiting and/or diarrhea, which may lead to dehydration
    Nausea
    Weight loss
    Nocturnal urination
    Foamy or bubbly urine
    More frequent urination, or in greater amounts than usual, with
    pale urine
    Less frequent urination, or in smaller amounts than usual, with
    dark colored urine
    Blood in the urine
    Pressure, or difficulty urinating

     A build up of phosphates in the blood that diseased kidneys cannot


    filter out may cause:
    Itching
    Bone damage
    Muscle cramps (caused by low levels of calcium which can
    cause hypocalcaemia)

     A build up of potassium in the blood that diseased kidneys cannot


    filter out (called hyperkalemia) may cause:
    Abnormal heart rhythms
    Muscle paralysis

     Failure of kidneys to remove excess fluid may cause:


    Swelling of the legs, ankles, feet, face and/or hands
    Shortness of breath due to extra fluid on the lungs (may also be
    caused by anemia)

     Polycystic kidney disease, which causes large, fluid-filled cysts on


    the kidneys and sometimes the liver, can cause:
    Pain in the back or side

     Healthy kidneys produce the hormone erythropoietin which


    stimulates the bone marrow to make oxygen-carrying red blood cells.
    As the kidneys fail, they produce less erythropoietin, resulting in
    decreased production of red blood cells to replace the natural
    breakdown of old red blood cells. As a result, the blood carries less
    hemoglobin, a condition known as anemia. This can result in:
    Feeling tired and/or weak
    Memory problems
    Difficulty concentrating
    Dizziness
    Low blood pressure

     Other symptoms include:


    Appetite loss, a bad taste in the mouth
    Difficulty sleeping
    Darkening of the skin
    Causes of acute renal failure
    Acute kidney failure usually occurs when the blood supply to the
    kidneys is suddenly interrupted or when the kidneys become overloaded
    with toxins. Causes of acute failure include accidents, injuries, or
    complications from surgeries in which the kidneys are deprived of
    normal blood flow for extended periods of time. Heart-bypass surgery is
    an example of one such procedure.
    Drug overdoses, whether accidental or from chemical overloads of drugs
    such as antibiotics or chemotherapeutics, may also cause the onset of
    acute kidney failure. Unlike in chronic kidney disease, however, the
    kidneys can often recover from acute failure, allowing the patient to
    resume a normal life. People suffering from acute failure require
    supportive treatment until their kidneys recover its function and they
    often remain at increased risk of developing future kidney failure.

    You might also like