Acute Renal Failure (ARF)
Acute Renal Failure (ARF) is a condition that results in a sudden decrease in kidney function or kidney damage within a few hours or a few days.
Causes of Acute Renal Failure
Conditions that may lead to ARF may include:
- Decreased blood flow to the kidneys, due to blood loss, low blood pressure or shock
- Direct damage to the kidneys caused by infection, severe dehydration or other conditions
- A blockage along the urinary tract
- Any condition that impairs the flow of oxygen and blood to the kidneys, such as heart attack
Symptoms of Acute Renal Failure
The most common symptoms of ARF include:
- Fever
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Rash
- Diarrhea
- Poor appetite
- Severe vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Back pain
- Muscle cramps
- No urine output or high urine output
- Pale skin
- Nosebleeds
- Inflammation of the eye
Treating Acute Renal Failure
When life brings you face to face with kidney disease, you want the best care possible. And the best team. That’s why the Crozer Health team brings together physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals from across the hospital—nephrology, cardiology, oncology, endocrinology and the largest dialysis center in the Delaware Valley—to deliver a compassionate, multi-disciplined team approach to treating kidney disease.
- Dialysis: For patients with kidney disease, dialysis (cleansing of the blood with an artificial kidney machine) may be needed to perform the tasks that the kidney once performed.
- Kidney Transplant: For patients with end-stage renal disease or those who cannot or do not want to depend on dialysis, kidney transplant surgery can be lifesaving and life-changing.