Therapeutic Approach to the Child with Acute Renal Failure

Acute renal failure (ARF) may be defined as a symptom complex that occurs when body fluid homeostasis is impaired by the rapid loss of kidney function. The diagnosis and pathophysiology of ARF are considered elsewhere in this volume. The past few decades have brought about major advances in the treatment of the biochemical derangements, hypertension, and fluid imbalance associated with acute renal failure. With widespread availability of dialysis, mortality has markedly decreased; those deaths that do occur are related more to the primary disorder and its complications than to renal failure. Therapy for acute renal failure depends upon the nature or the degree of renal impairment.