Acute renal failure is a serious medical condition. The gravity of the condition is manifested itself in the fact that the survival rate for renal failure has not improved for more than forty years. It occurs in 5% of all hospitalized patients and dialysis treatment is required in approximately .5 of cases. Dialysis is required to sustain "fluid and electrolyte balances, minimize nitrogenous waste production and sustain nutrition Infection accounts for 75% of deaths in patients with acute renal failure, and cardiorespiratory complications are the second most common cause of death" (Agrawal & Swartz 2000). Pathophysiology can vary depending upon the type: "patients who develop AKI can be oliguric or nonoliguric, have a rapid or slow rise in creatinine levels, and may have qualitative differences in urine solute concentrations and cellular content.... Oliguria is defined as a daily urine volume of less than 400 mL/d and has a worse prognosis, except in prerenal failure. Anuria is defined as a urine output of less than 100 mL/d and, if abrupt in onset, suggests bilateral obstruction or catastrophic injury to both kidneys" (Workeneh, 2011). The three types of acute renal failure are categorized as prerenal, intrinsic and postrenal failure. Prerenal acute renal failure or acute tubular necrosis "a type of intrinsic acute renal failure that is usually caused by ischemia or toxins" is the most common form of the illness (Agrawal & Swartz 2000). In acute renal failure the excretion of nitrogenous waste is reduced, and the patient's fluid and electrolyte balances are disturbed. "The glomerular filtration rate decreases over days to weeks" (Agrawal & Swartz 2000). Often, the patient is asymptomatic. However, symptoms, when presents may include a lack of urine output despite drinking adequate fluids, edema in the extremities, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, disorientation, or fatigue. There may also be...
Most authorities define the condition as an acute increase of the serum creatinine level from baseline (i.e., an increase of at least 0.5 mg per dL [44.2 µmol per L]). Complete renal shutdown is present when the serum creatinine level rises by at least 0.5 mg per dL per day and the urine output is less than 400 mL per day (oliguria)" (Agrawal & Swartz 2000).Renal failure, or commonly referred to as kidney failure, is a condition in which the kidneys do not sufficiently filter out the toxins and waste products that are transported in the body's blood stream. There are two basic forms of renal failure. The first is when there is an acute injury prevents the kidneys from functioning properly. The next is a more serious condition in which the kidneys are chronically
5% while 70.5% took Aspirin within six hours after reaching hospital and 76.5% of patients admitted in the NICVD were receiving Aspirin therapy." (Jaiwa, 2006, p.1) Jaiwa reports a more recent study that states findings that out of 52 patients with chest pain only 13 patients or 25% of the 52 received aspirin. The stated reason for not giving aspirin to the other 39 patients included that "chest pain was not
In the earlier times, malaria was a big issue in the North America, Europe and some areas of northern Asia. The geographic distribution could still be offset by the shift in population mobility and climatic changes. Plasmodium falciparum is the most dominant species in the world while the P. Ovale dominating the sub-Saharan region of Africa, and P. vivax found in the other remaining regions according to Parasites and
The presence of cardiac enzymes in the blood often indicates myocardial necrosis. Medical experts generally view MI as one among acute coronary syndromes. Unstable angina and non-ST-elevation MI are among the syndromes. Statistics said that approximately 1.5 million cases come up each year. MI is a cardiovascular condition. About 12 million deaths worldwide each year are attributed to cardiovascular diseases as cause, according to the World Health Organization. These
It is also important to distinguish between the subjective or personal view of quality of life and the professional's objective evaluation of the health status of individuals (Tyrrell et al., 2005, p. 375). With regard to the patient's quality of life and treatment the above study notes that; "We have observed that some older dialysis patients experience considerable difficulties with this treatment regime. Apart from physical discomfort, some patients have
Ethical Decision 'Not to Resuscitate' is indeed a difficult decision that has to be made by the patient, when he or she is in good health, or the guardians of the patient. However, according to the law and ethical code of conduct, the medical practitioner, or whoever is in charge of the health care of a patient in a hospital setting, should always inform the patient about the whole procedure (L.,
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