Acute tubular necrosis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Kidney anatomy

Kidney - blood and urine flow

Acute tubular necrosis

Definition:

Acute tubular necrosis is a kidney disorder involving damage to the renal tubule cells, resulting in acute kidney failure.

Alternative Names:
Necrosis - renal tubular; ATN; Necrosis - acute tubular
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is caused by ischemia of the kidneys (lack of oxygen to the kidney tissues), or by exposure to materials that are poisonous to the kidney (nephrotoxic agents).

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The internal structures of the kidney, particularly the tissues of the kidney tubule, become damaged or destroyed. ATN is one of the most common structural changes associated with the development of acute renal failure.

ATN, along with prerenal azotemia are the most common causes of renal failure in hospitalized patients. Risks for acute tubular necrosis include injury or trauma with resulting damage to the muscles, recent major surgery, blood transfusion reaction, septic shock or other forms of shock, and severe hypotension (low blood pressure) that lasts longer than 30 minutes.

Any condition that causes a reduction in the amount of blood being pumped by the heart may cause ATN. Liver disease and damage caused by diabetes mellitus (diabetic nephropathy) may make a person more susceptible to the condition.

ATN can be caused by: