Acute Kidney Injury Due to Acute Cortical Necrosis Following a Single Wasp Sting

Acute kidney injury (AKI) can develop after multiple wasp or bee stings. The etiology is the acute tubular necrosis secondary to shock, pigment toxicity, interstitial nephritis, or direct nephrotoxicity of venom. We report a 40-year-old female who presented with oliguric AKI after a single wasp sting on her hand. Her history, examination, and investigations did not support any of the established causes of AKI in such settings. She did not improve with supportive management and dialysis, and kidney biopsy showed acute cortical necrosis (ACN). This is the first report of ACN after a single wasp sting.     

Validity of Prediction Scores in Acute Renal Failure Due to Polytrauma

During a 36-month period from 1992 to 1994, 33 patients with severe polytrauma acquired in war combat (1 female, 32 male, 38.61 ± 8.79 years) developed acute renal failure (ARF) which required hemodialysis (HD) treatment. In 12 patients, multiple system organ failure (MSOF) occurred as a complication of either general conditions or septic complications. In 17 patients (51.4%), and in 3 patients with MSOF, recovery of renal function occurred. We compared the outcome of ARF and several predictive scores (APACHE II and ATNISS). The APACHE II score did not correlate with the outcome of ARF, and ATNISS significantly correlated with the outcome of ARF. The maximum value of ATNISS in the patients with lethal outcome was 1.004, and the minimal value with the same outcome was 0.182. Although ATNISS is a very good score of severity, it seems to underestimate very influential factors in patients with severe polytrauma with ARF (MSOF, mechanism of trauma).     

Acute Renal Failure in Pregnancy in a Developing Country: Twenty Years of Experience

Acute renal failure (ARF) has become a rare complication of pregnancy in developed countries. The aim of this study was to describe changing trends in pregnancy-related acute renal failure (PR-ARF) in two successive periods; 1982–1991 and 1992–2002. From July1982 to December 2002, 190 cases of PR-ARF were observed in Eastern India (11.6% of total number of ARF needing dialysis). Obstetrical complications were causative factors for ARF in 15% (65/426) and 10% (125/1201) of patients in the two periods, respectively. The incidence of PR-ARF fell from 15% in 1982–1991 to 10% in 1992–2002, with respect to the total number of acute renal failure cases. Post-abortal ARF showed a declining trend, 9% in the 1980s to 7% in the 2000s, of the total number of ARF cases. Preeclampsia-eclampsia was the cause of obstetrical ARF in 23% (1982–1991) and 14.4% (1992–2002) of cases in these two periods. The percentage of total ARF due to eclampsia declined from 3.5% during the period 1982–1991 to 1.4% in 1992–2002. Puerperal sepsis contributed to 0.8% of total ARF in recent years, compared to 2.4% in the earlier period. The incidence of cortical necrosis decreased significantly (p < 0.001) from 17% in 1982–1991 to 2.4% in the 2000s. The maternal mortality reduced to 6.4% in 1992–2002 from initial high mortality of 20% in the period of 1982–1991. Conclusion. PR-ARF which remained high in the initial period has decreased in recent years. This is associated with a declining trend in post‐abortal ARF and a reduction in maternal mortality as well. We noted a significant decrease (p < 0.001) in the incidence of cortical necrosis in PR-ARF. The reasons for this favorable outcome in obstetrical ARF seem to be due to improved medical care, decrease in the number of septic abortions, effective care of obstetrical complications, and legalization of abortion.     

Acute Renal Failure Due to Candida tropicalis Obstruction: An Overview

Acute renal failure (ARF) due to infection of urinary tract is reported in the literature. ARF due to Candida tropicalis obstruction is extremely rate. In this article, the author summarized the clinical characteristics of ARF due to Candida tropicalis obstruction.     

Acute Renal Failure Due to McArdle's Disease

Amikacin is a commonly used antibacterial drug that can cause significant nephrotoxic effects in both humans and experimental animals. It has been reported that one mechanism of the toxic effects of aminoglycoside antibiotics are the result of oxidative reactions. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of N-acetylcysteine, a thiol-containing antioxidant, on renal function (serum creatinine) and morphology (renal tubular damage) in mice subjected to amikacin-induced nephrotoxicity. A total of 32 mice were equally divided into four groups that were injected with either saline, amikacin (1.2g/kg intraperitoneally), N-acetylcysteine (150mg/kg intraperitoneally for three days) plus amikacin (1.2 g/kg intraperitoneally on the third day as a single dose), or N-acetylcysteine (150mg/kg intraperitoneally). Amikacin administration led to granulovacuolar tubular degeneration in light microscopic examination and myeloid bodies, mitochondrial electron-dense material deposition, and mitochondrial swelling in the proximal tubule epithelium in the electron microscopic evaluation. N-acetylcysteine administration before amikacin injection caused significant decreases in myeloid body and mitochondrial swelling and granulovacuolar tubular degeneration formation. Serum creatinine levels did not change as a result of any treatment. The results show that N-acetylcysteine has a protective effect on nephrotoxicity induced by amikacin. Higher doses of amikacin should be tried to observe biochemical effects.     

Reversible Renal Failure Due to Bilateral Renal Sarcoma in a Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

A 68-year-old male presented with acute myeloid leukemia, renal failure, hypokalemia, and enlarged kidneys on renal ultrasound. Renal biopsy revealed massive leukemic infiltration of the kidney. After systemic chemotherapy, the patient developed tumor lysis syndrome followed by a phase of proximal tubule dysfunction presenting as polyuria and diverse electrolyte abnormalities. In time, renal function returned to normal, as did kidney size. This report shows that renal failure, enlargement of the kidneys, and tubule dysfunction in the course of AML infiltrating the kidneys can be reversed by treatment of the hematological disease.     

Acute Renal Failure Due to Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome

The aim of our study was to analyze the clinical course and outcome of acute renal failure (ARF) in patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). From 1983 to 1995, we treated 33 patients (27 males, 6females) aged from 16 to 71 years. Half of patients were connected with work at a farm or in a forest. The disease was confirmed serologically with indirect immunofluorescence test (IFT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In 18 patients percutaneous kidney needle biopsies were analyzed. In 85% of the cases, the disease broke out from June to October. The most frequently expressed clinical signs and symptoms were fever, nausea/vomiting, headache, backache, abdominal pain, myalgia, diarrhea, conjunctival injection, and hemorrhages. Four patients had concomitant pancreatitis. In 25 patients, oliguria was present, and transient hemodialysis treatment was needed in 19 patients. Infection with Hantaan virus was established in 20 patients and with Puumala virus in 13 patients. At renal biopsy, acute interstitial nephritis accompanied with hemorrhages and necrosis was found, and at a later biopsy there were also signs of interstitial fibrosis. All patients were cured, but renal function was not completely recovered in some. We conclude that ARF is a serious complication in patients with HFRS. Although not lethal in our group of patients, many of them showed severe signs and symptoms of illness. Transient hemodialysis was necessary in two-thirds of the patients. Some degree of functional defects and morphological changes might persist.     

Acute Renal Failure Due to Rhabdomyolysis in Diabetic Patients

We report a 32-year-old Black man, admitted to the ICU with coma and severe metabolic disturbances due to diabetic ketoacidosis. During the admission, rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure (ARF) were diagnosed. After metabolic control and gradual decrease of creatine kinase levels, he presented a progressive improvement of renal function. We emphasize nontraumatic rhabdomyolysis as a poorly recognized pathogenetic factor for ARF in diabetic ketoacidosis and suggest that a better understanding of its mechanisms and an early application of protective measures is necessary.     

Acute Tubular Necrosis and Renal Failure in Patients with Glomerular Disease

Renal failure is common in patients with glomerular disease. Although renal failure may result from the glomerular lesion itself, it is also observed in patients with minimal glomerular alterations. Degenerative changes and necrosis of the tubular epithelium are common findings in kidney biopsies from these patients. The aim of this work is to examine the association between acute tubular necrosis (ATN) and renal failure in patients with glomerulopathy and to estimate the relationship between the degree of ATN and renal failure in these patients. Data on age, sex, presence of nephrotic syndrome, and renal failure were recorded for 149 patients, who underwent a renal biopsy for the diagnosis of glomerulopathy. The biopsies were reviewed, and ATN, when present, was classified as one of four grades depending on its intensity. The mean age of the patients was 21 ± 16 years. Eighty patients (54%) were male, 43 (42%) had renal failure, 104 (72%) had nephrotic syndrome, and 66 (45%) had minimal change disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. ATN was present in 115 (77%) patients. The frequency of renal failure was directly correlated with the intensity of ATN [odds ratio (OR) of 26.0 for patients with grade 2 lesions and OR of 45.5 for patients with grade 3 lesions]. ATN is a common finding in the biopsies of patients with glomerulopathy. The severity of ATN is directly associated with the frequency of renal failure in these patients.     

Acute Renal Failure Secondary to Fenofibrate Monotherapy-Induced Rhabdomyolysis

Fenofibrate, a fibric acid derivative, is used to treat diabetic dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and combined hyperlipidemia alone or in combination with statins. Rhabdomyolysis is defined as a pathological condition of skeletal muscle cell damage leading to the release of toxic intracellular material into the circulation. Its major causes include trauma, ischemia, toxins, metabolic disorders, infections, and drugs. Rhabdomyolysis associated with fenofibrate is extremely rare. In nearly all of the presented cases, there was a predisposing factor for rhabdomyolysis such as diabetes, older age, renal insufficiency, and hypothyroidism. Here, we report a nondiabetic, nonhypothyroidic young female patient without any known prior renal disease presenting with acute renal failure developing after fenofibrate treatment.     

End-Stage Renal Disease Following Carboplatin Chemotherapy for a Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Renal failure secondary to carboplatin therapy is due to acute tubular necrosis and is usually reversible. However, acute renal failure with rapid progression to end-stage renal disease is an exceedingly rare complication of carboplatin therapy. The authors report a case of definitive renal failure secondary to carboplatin chemotherapy for a nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The mechanisms that give rise to the chronic nephropathy are discussed.     

Acute Renal Failure and Hypercalcemia

Hypercalcemia can result from excessive bone resorption, renal calcium retention, excessive intestinal calcium absorption, or a combination of these conditions. Hypercalcemia may also provoke acute renal failure (ARF) or hypertension, or aggravate the tubular necrosis that is frequently found in cases of ARF. The association of ARF and hypercalcemia was studied retrospectively in eight patients based in the data in their charts. Data are expressed as median and percentile (25th; 75th). Our results show that ARF associated with hypercalcemia was related with comorbidity in all cases (cancer, multiple myeloma, hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, vitamin D intoxication, and leprosy). Maximum median serum creatinine levels were 3.3 mg/dL (2.7, 3.8 mg/dL) before treatment and 1.1 mg/dL (0.9, 1.3 mg/dL) after treatment. Maximum total median serum calcium was 15.9 mg/dL (13.5, 19.8 mg/dL) before treatment and 9.1 mg/dL (8.4, 9.7 mg/dL) after treatment. Maximum median ionized serum calcium was 2.1 mmol/L (1.8, 2.2 mmol/L) before treatment and 1.1 mmol/L (1.0, 1.2 mmol/L) after treatment. Different kinds of treatment induced a rapid fall in serum calcium concentration. All patients were treated with hydration and diuretics, and three patients also received calcitonin. Serum creatinine concentration always fell simultaneously with the decrease in serum calcium in all cases. All patients progressed with nonoliguric renal failure. In conclusion, in ARF, patients are frequently hypocalcemic. Usually, the presence of hypercalcemia associated with ARF is indicative of the presence of comorbidity, as observed in all eight patients studied here. There was an improvement of renal function in all cases as serum calcium levels decreased.     

Appearance of Enzymes in Plasma or Urine Following Renal Injury

The present study evaluates the relevance of plasma enzyme activityin the quantitative assessment of renal injury. In a caninemodel, enzyme release from kidneys to plasma and urine was studiedfollowing an artificial parenchymal enzyme infusion in healthyand ischaemic kidneys. The cumulative enzyme activity in plasmaand urine was calculated. Within 1 h of the start of the infusion,80% of the infused enzyme was recovered in plasma, whereas urinaryaccumulation was negligible. A similar enzyme distribution betweenthese compartments was obtained if the kidneys were ischaemicallydamaged before the start of the infusion. Thus enzymes releasedinto the renal cortical interstitium are very rapidly transportedto the vascular system and are quantitatively recovered in plasma.Experimental renal infarction revealed that cell death due toischaemia also resulted in enzyme accumulation in plasma.     

Acute Renal Failure in Severe Hypothermia

A patient who developed acute renal failure associated with severe hypothermia is reported. Warm peritoneal dialysis was initiated for core rewarming followed by intermittent hemodialysis till he entered the diuretic phase. The factors which led to acute renal failure in this patient included hypovolemia, hypotension, and acute pancreatitis.