Acute renal failure--10-year experience of the Johannesburg Hospital renal unit.
The 10-year experience of Johannesburg Hospital's renal unit in treating acute renal failure (ARF) is described; 290 patients were treated by haemodialysis--169 drawn from the surgical disciplines, 109 from the medical disciplines and 12 from obstetrics and gynaecology, suffering 55%, 41% and 33% mortality rates, respectively. The mortality rates were found to correlate strongly with the cumulative number of acute insults to renal function accruing as a result of the particular surgical or medical illness ('precipitating event') and culminating in ARF. Age was also shown to have a powerful influence on outcome, the survival rate falling steadily with each decade of life. A plea is made to limit the potential insults to renal function actively, particularly in the elderly, in an attempt to further reduce the high mortality rate with which ARF continues to be stubbornly associated.
Department of Medicine, Johannesburg Hospital.
J L
JL
Seggie
F J
FJ
Milne
A M
AM
Meyers
A R
AR
Hayward
A
A
Kark
D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006436:Hemodialysis Units, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013019:South Africa