CHANGES IN BODY COMPOSITION IN ACUTE RENAL FAILURE 1

Abstract

To a large degree the therapy of acute renal failure depends on an understanding of biochemical disturbances that result from the temporary ab- sence of renal excretory and homeostatic functions. Important among these disturbances are changes in the volume and composition of body fluids, par- ticularly with respect to electrolyte constituents. While certain manifestations of these changes are frequently recognized on the clinical level, rela- tively little quantitative data are available from which can be derived a general pattern of body fluid alterations in this disease. One reason for this paucity of information, aside from the limita- tions of investigative techniques, is the inherent difficulty of performing adequate studies on criti- cally ill patients.