Patterns of acute renal failure in Russell's viper bite patients

ABSTRACT

Fifty-two patients with acute renal failure due to Russell's viper bite were studied. 34 patients had oliguric and 18 had non-oliguric types of acute renal failure. There was a higher incidence of complications such as gastrointestinal bleeding, renal angle tenderness and facial oedema in patients with oliguria. These patients also had a higher serum creatinine, fractional excretion of sodium and renal failure index when compared to polyuric patients. Mortality rate was about 32 per cent inpatients with oliguria in spite of peritoneal dialysis in 8 patients. No patients in the polyuric group needed dialysis and none died. The difference may be due to more severe renal lesions in patients with oliguric acute renal failure.