Acute Renal Failure Essay

Acute renal failure (ARF), also know as Acute Kidney Injury/Impairment (AKI) is described as a condition where there is a rapid decline in kidney function which results in an increase in accumulation of waste materials in the body and decreased urine output, usually over hours to weeks, occurring in a person with or without a previous pre-existing renal disease (Van Biesen, W., Vanholder, R., & Lameire, N., 2006). Acute loss of renal function can be due to poor perfusion to the kidneys, called prerenal failure, from an obstruction of urine flow from the kidneys, called postrenal failure, or from complications from within the kidneys called intrinsic renal failure (Rahman, M., Shad, F., & Smith, M.C., 2012). Prerenal acute failure can occur
It can also present with decreases in cardiac output, occlusion of arteries to the kidneys and with complications due to drug or medication use (Copstead, L.-E. C., & Bannisk, J. L., 2010). This type of failure is responsible for 70% of reported cases of ARF from within the community and 40% of those diagnosed within hospitals (Copstead, L.-E. C., & Bannisk, J. L., 2010). This disruption in the circulating volume impairs cardiac output which then reduces the amount available to the kidneys resulting in kidney injury/impairment (Copstead, L.-E. C., & Bannisk, J. L., 2010). Postrenal failure occurs from an obstruction to the outflow of urine from the kidneys in conditions resulting from: benign prostatic hyperplasia, obstructed catheters, abdominal tumors, strictures, or renal calculi. This type of failure is the least common of the three and is most times, responsive to treatment(s) (Copstead, L.-E. C., & Bannisk, J. L., 2010). If left untreated, the damage to the kidneys progresses and develops into acute tubular necrosis or intrinsic acute renal failure and eventual irreversible kidney damage (Copstead, L.-E. C., & Bannisk, J.
The pericardium surrounding the heart can also become inflamed, causing the client to have complaints of chest pain. The client may also present with muscle weakness due to the imbalance of fluids and electrolytes in the circulatory system, such as with increases in serum potassium levels. If kidney injury progression cannot be successfully treated, slowed or reversed, permanent kidney damage can occur resulting in permanent loss of kidney function, or end-stage kidney disease requiring dialysis treatment or eventual death (Mayo Clinic,