The management of acute renal failure following trauma.

Acute renal failure following trauma may be divided into two categories: incipient acute renal failure (IARF) and established acute renal failure. The first section of this paper will deal with the principles of diagnosis and reversal of incipient acute renal failure. The second section will deal with the total metabolic management of patients with acute renal failure inclusive of circulatory and respiratory problems. Since the mortality of acute renal failure still remains alarmingly high at greater than 50% in those patients aged more than 50 years (Lindsay, 1974) any improvement in the early reversal of incipient acute renal failure or of the management of established acute renal failure is highly desirable.