Other Treatment for Acute Renal Failure

Acute renal failure often necessitates treatment with dialysis, a mechanical process in which a machine performs the functions of healthy kidneys. In this mechanical process, wastes, such as urea, are cleared from the blood, the right balance of electrolytes is restored and excess fluids are filtered out of the body.

Two types of Dialysis are used in treating acute kidney failure. Hemodialysis, which is the most common treatment, employs a mechanical membrane, the dialyzer, which strains and removes waste from the blood as well as drains excess fluid. For best results, especially when the patient is critically ill, this is typically administered daily. Peritoneal dialysis, which is less frequently used in the management of acute renal failure, removes waste and excess fluids with the use of the lining of the patient’s abdominal cavity and dialysate solution.

To measure the efficacy of the dialysis, blood samples are taken before and after the process, checking the levels of urea (blood urea nitrogen or BUN). This process determines how well wastes are removed from the patient’s bloodstream.

In cases of severe kidney failure, other than undergoing a kidney transplant, dialysis remains the only way to sustain life.

 

Treatment for Blockages in Acute Renal Failure Patients

Treatment for blockages in acute renal failure patients is typically administered on patients who suffer from post-renal acute renal failure. Post-renal acute renal failure accounts for about 5 percent of all cases of kidney failure. This occurs when a blockage clogs the urinary tract, causing waste to accumulate in the kidneys.

As such, treatment for blockages in acute renal failure entails removing or bypassing the blockage. If the blockage is caused by a kidney stone, it can be removed or destroyed through a generally used medical procedure for breaking up or crushing kidney stones. This treatment, called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, employs sound waves that can break up kidney stones, but can also pass harmlessly through the human body.

On the other hand, effective treatment for blockages in acute renal failure requires that if the obstruction cannot be removed, urine flow may be rerouted around the blockage with the use of a catheter. Emptying the bladder with a catheter quickly relieves symptoms and facilitates the return of kidney functions to normal. A similar procedure is employed to facilitate urine flow when the blockage, which obstructs the urethra, is non-crystal such as a retroperitoneal tumor, bladder hematoma or benign prostatic hypertrophy

Hemodialysis Treatment for Acute Renal Failure Patients

One of the vital treatments for acute renal failure, hemodialysis involves the removal of body waste and excess fluid directly from the patient’s blood with the use of a machine that works like an artificial kidney. Ordinarily, the treatment would last anywhere from 3.5 up to 4.5 hours, and may be done three times a week, although the times and frequency may vary with each patient.

Lately, the use of high flux dialysis has been gaining ground among kidney patients for its obvious advantages. Medical practitioners say that this has allowed fewer complications in the patients during treatment, adding that blood pressure control was superior and the patients were more energetic, had less nausea and itching and had better sleep and appetite. Many high flux dialysis machines also utilize a biocompatible synthetic membrane, which is said to have superior compatibility to the blood over those membranes used by conventional dialyzers.

In addition, high flux dialysis allows for superior clearance of middle molecules, providing real protection against a type of degenerative bone disorder sometimes found in long-term dialysis patients