Anuria Ascribed to Acute Tubular Necrosis in Infkncy and Early Childhood by I
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Arch Dis Child: first published as 10.1136/adc.31.160.512 on 1 December 1956. Downloaded from ANURIA ASCRIBED TO ACUTE TUBULAR NECROSIS IN INFKNCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD BY I. J. C-ARRE and J. R. SQUIRE From the Children's Hospital, Birmingham, and the Department of Evperimnental Pathology. University of Birmingham (RECEIVED FOR PUBLICATION JUNE 29, 1956) The improved prognosis of acute renal failure has vomiting and dehydration. Varying proportions of the largely resulted from the use of conservative dietary following three solutions were given: normal saline, regimes of treatment as suggested by Borst (1948), 500 dextrose in 1/5 isotonic saline, and 500 dextrose Pratt (1948) and Bull, Joekes and Lowe (1949, 1950). solution. No urne was passed. Antibiotic therapy Few publications refer to children with acute tubular was confined to penicillin. Next day she appeared improved and the fever had necrosis treated in this manner. In 1948 Pratt subsided. Abdominal distension and absent bowel reported seven children with acute anuria of over sounds were noted. The blood pressure was 115 80 mm. '4 hours' duration treated conservatively with a Hg. Vomiting persisted and intravenous fluids were limited fluid and liberal glucose diet: five recovered. continued. By evening the sacral region and ankles Children with acute tubular necrosis successfully were slightly oedematous. No calculus or renal Protected by copyright. treated on similar lines have also been reported by calcification was demonstrated radiologically. One Riddell (1951, two patients), Kaplan and Fomon millilitre of urine was obtained on catheterization: this (1953, one patient) and Wagner (1954, one patient). contained numerous red and white blood cells but no Other recent reports of acute tubular necrosis in casts or crystals. Culture was sterile. On December 28 pulmonary oedema had developed and both ankle and children have been concerned primarily with the sacral oedema had increased. She remained anuric. biochemical and pathological aspects (Zuelzer, Intravenous fluids were discontinued (a total of 2,800 ml. Charles, Kurnetz, Newton and Fallon, 1951 having been given in 48 hours, equivalent in salt content Schwartz, Tomsovic and Schwartz, 1951). to 1 litre of isotonic saline). Bull's regime was sub- The purpose of this paper is to direct attention stituted. She remained anuric until January 2, 1953, to the condition of acute tubular necrosis in infancy i.e., eight days. During the period of anuria vomiting and early childhood, to describe problems en- decreased, oedema subsided, no hypertension was countered in the management of three patients recorded and abdominal distension with absent bowel under 6 years of age and to discuss the biochemical sounds persisted: she was at times mentally confused. Spectroscopic examination of the serum was negative. disturbances observed. Possible aetiological factors Infection of the mouth with Candida albicans was noted http://adc.bmj.com/ are considered. The results include a review of on December 31. A purpuric eruption on the neck each of these children two years or more after their appeared on January 1: no abnormalities were found in initial illness. the bleeding, clotting or prothrombin times and the Case Reports platelet count was 160,003 per c.mm. Case 1. P.B., a girl aged 5 years 2 months was Serum biochemical findings are shown in Fig. 1. An admitted at 3.50 a.m. on December 25, 1952, with a E.C.G. on January 1 (serum potassium concentration 24-hour history of dyspnoea and epigastric pain. She 8 - 5 mEq. litre) showed sharply peaked T waves in lead II appeared an ill child with a temperature of 1028-8: signs and chest leads. In an attempt to lower the serum on September 30, 2021 by guest. of pneumonic consolidation were present over the left potassium, 5 g. of cation-exchange resin, 'zeocarb 225' chest. Three-hourly intramuscular injections of crystal- in the hydrogen form, was given through the ga tric tube. line penicillin were started immediately. Twelve hours In addition, vomit, with a potassium content of later her condition had deteriorated. As additional 3-9 mEq./litre, was replaced via the gastric drip by an therapy she was given 100 mg. aureomycin intravenously equal quantity of an artificial mixture containing at 6.30 and again the following morning. equivalent salt concentrations except for potassium The urine output was not recorded on the day of i.e., 30 ml. N/10 HCI, 30 ml. N/ 10 NaCI and 40 ml. water. admission but she passed urine twice, the last occasion At 9-0 a.m. the following morning (January 2) bowel at 4.30 p.m. She vomited five timnes during the day. sounds were audible on auscultation: the serum potas- The blood pressure was 105 75 mm. Hg. The following sium had fallen by 2-2 mEq./litre. Twelve hours later day intravenous fluid therapy was begun because of 40 ml. of urine were passed. After four days the urine 512 Arch Dis Child: first published as 10.1136/adc.31.160.512 on 1 December 1956. Downloaded from ANURIA ASCRIBED TO ACUTE TUBULAR NECROSIS 513 output had increased to 1 litre/24 hours. (To obtain starting on January 6. Her subsequent progress was an accurate assessment urine was collected by indwelling complicated by a urinary infection with Candida aibicans. catheter.) The fluid intake for each 12 hours was deter- (This aspect of her illness will be reported separately.) mined as the theoretical insensible loss for the period She was last reviewed when aged 8 years and 3 months, plus a quantity of half-strength isotonic saline equal to i.e., three years after her illness. She had had no the previous 12 hours' urine output. Additional illnesses and was an apparently healthy child. Her only potassium was given from January 5. symptoms were frequency of micturition and nocturnal enuresis due to a contracted bladder possibly resulting PB CASE / from the urinary infection. An intravenous pyelogram two months after her illness was normal. She was small s /4 0.1e A-,EA (weight 21-8 kg. and height 115-6 cm., averages for age s2tv,. meq/,/ I 3 25-2 kg. and 125 cm.). There were no other abnormal clinical findings. Her blood pressure was 1001/5 mm. - Hg. The urine contained no albumin and showed no POrAe/ 6- _ abnormality on microscopy: there was no amino- t~- ~~~iR- - __=;Gl aciduria. The P.C.V. was 370, and the blood urea 46 mg./100 ml. 90- The results of endogenous creatinine clearances at 710-. varying stages of the illness and subsequently are listed below: 70 mcq,d PRODTEI N?/o a 0- OW-_ w_0-w Interval Creatinine Clearance _ww after OTivEP 7o Date Onset of (ml. min-) ml. min. 1 73 sq.m. ANIONS Diuresis Surface Area l /0- rc/O * Protected by copyright. L ec. _ Gk.o- ose )A aStr,Ca 5.1.53 3 days 4 0 11 4.2.53 5 weeks 15 2 40 300- 18.3.53 1 1 weeks 23 4 62 OR,,, 27.1.54 13 months 25 6 63 Bl/ood rrn BBbod 27.1.56 37 months 47 102 o 0- 4L. t - xc 25- Case 2. R.J., a boy of 7 months, was admitted on the evening of August 18, 1953. Except for infantile eczema his progress had been satisfactory until August 12 when he developed a 'cold' and seemed troubled by 'teething'. He remained unwell and two days later 'sulphatriad I~~~ ~ I I I.I ..9 (sulphathiazole, sulphadiazine and sulphamerazine) 2r 27 59 i/ 2 4 8 /2 /4 / .7FCEIV -: ,A NVLA)R Y 0-5 g. six-hourly was prescribed but, due to vomiting, was discontinued after only five doses had been given. FIG. I.-Results of serum and blood analyses, waeight records and urine output during the period of anuria and early diuresis (Case 1). Sulphonamides had not been previously prescribed for (Incomplete urine collections are represented by blocks with serrated either intemal or external administration. No urine upper margins.) was passed after August 14 until August 17 when 'a little http://adc.bmj.com/ urine' was passed, the first for three days. During this The patient appeared improved the day after the onset period vomiting, anorexia and irritability persisted. He of diuresis but at I a.m. on the succeeding day (January 4) was admitted to another hospital where on catheteriza- she suddenly collapsed, became unconscious, cold and tion only a few drops of urine were obtained. He was grey. Her blood pressure was unrecordable. She transferred to the Children's Hospital next evening recovered spontaneously and half an hour later her (August 18). On examination he appeared a healthy blood pressure was 90/70 mm. Hg. The serum con- infant, and weighed 8-2 kg. The only abnormal clinical centrations of potassium and sodium during this episode findings were a temperature of 99- 6 and a blood pressure on September 30, 2021 by guest. were 4-6 mEq./litre and 137 mEq./litre. A further fall of 180/115 mm. Hg. Limited quantities of 500 glucose in blood pressure but without associated constitutional solution were given. disturbance was recorded at 9 a.m. the same day. Two The following day (August 19) anuria persisted and hours later the blood pressure was 110/75 mm. Hg. No Bull's regime was instituted: daily requirements were similar episodes were noted subsequently. A blood assessed as 200 ml. fluid and 800 calories. Intramuscular transfusion of 250 ml. was given later that day because injections every fifth day of streptomycin (100 mg.) and of a fall in haemoglobin to 10-6 g./100 ml. crystalline penicillin (50,000 units) were prescribed.