SPECTRUM OF ACUTE RENAL FAILURE IN A SERVICE HOSPITAL.

A prospective study of 82 patients with acute renal failure was carried out over the last 2 years. Mean age of the patients was 35.6 years (8-82 years). Male to female ratio was 3.5:1. The etiological factors were septicaemia in 18 patients (21.95%), aminoglycoside toxicity in 16 patients (19.51%), open heart surgery in 8 patients (9.76%), volume depletion and blood loss in 12 patients (14.63%), glomerulonephritis in 4 patients (4.88%), renal allograft dysfunction in 4 patients (4.88%), and miscellaneous causes in 20 patients (24.39%). Non-oliguric renal failure was observed in 39.02 per cent cases. Dialysis support was required in 65.8 per cent of the cases; with average 5.6 (4 to 11) dialysis sessions. Four patients of acute renal failure following open heart surgery were given continuous arterio-venous haemofiltration. Overall mortality was 32.5 per cent, septicaemia accounting for 60 per cent of the deaths.