This presentation discusses five common medical abbreviations related to the urinary system: ARF (acute renal failure), BUN (blood urea nitrogen), ESWL (electrocorporeal shock wave lithotripsy), RP (retrograde pyelogram), and UTI (urinary tract infection). It provides definitions and explanations for each term, describing symptoms, causes, diagnostic tests and treatment options as relevant. The goal is to familiarize students with abbreviations used in relation to illnesses and procedures involving the urinary system.
2. Urinary System Abbreviations
Abbreviations are used to represent illnesses
and diagnostic procedures.
This presentation will focus on five
abbreviations relative to the urinary system:
1. ARF
2. BUN
3. ESWL
4. RP
5. UTI
3. ARF-Acute Renal Failure
Acute kidney failure occurs when your kidneys
suddenly become unable to filter waste products from
your blood. When your kidneys lose their filtering ability,
dangerous levels of wastes may accumulate and your
blood's chemical makeup may get out of balance.
Also known as acute renal failure or acute kidney injury
It can develop rapidly over a few hours or a few days.
ARF can be fatal and requires intensive treatment. It
may be reversible if patient is otherwise in good health.
They may recover to normal kidney function.
4. ARF-Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of acute kidney failure may include:
Decreased urine output, although occasionally urine output remains
normal
Fluid retention, causing swelling in your legs, ankles or feet
Drowsiness
Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Confusion
Nausea
Seizures or coma in severe cases
Chest pain or pressure
Sometimes acute kidney failure causes no signs or symptoms and is
detected through lab tests done for another reason.
5. ARF- Causes
Acute kidney failure can occur when:
You have a condition that slows blood flow to your
kidneys
Diseases and conditions that may slow blood flow to the kidneys and lead to kidney
failure include heart attack, blood pressure medications, severe allergic reaction,
use of aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or related drugs, etc.
You experience direct damage to your kidneys
These diseases, conditions and agents may damage the kidneys and lead to acute
kidney failure include Blood clots in the veins and arteries in and around the
kidneys, infection, Lupus, Scleroderma, toxins, etc.
Your kidneys' urine drainage tubes (ureters) become
blocked and wastes can't leave your body through
your urine
Diseases and conditions that block the passage of urine out of the body (urinary
obstructions) and can lead to acute kidney failure include bladder cancer, Cervical
Cancer, Kidney stones, enlarged prostate, etc.
6. ARF- Treatment
Treatment for ARF typically requires a hospital stay.
The doctor will treat the following:
The underlying cause of your kidney failure: involves
identifying the illness or injury that originally damaged your
kidneys. Treatment options will depend on what's causing
kidney failure.
Treat complications until your kidneys recover.
Treatments to balance the amount of fluids in your blood- IV
fluids for too little fluid in body and diuretics for too much fluids.
Medications to control blood potassium.
Medications to restore blood calcium levels.
Dialysis to remove toxins from your blood.
May also recommend a special diet. Diet with lower
potassium foods, reduced salt and Limit phosphorus.
7. BUN- Blood Urea Nitrogen
The BUN is a common blood test that reveals
important information about how well your
kidneys and liver are working.
A BUN test can reveal whether your urea
nitrogen levels are higher than normal, which
suggests that your kidneys or liver may not be
working properly.
8. BUN- Why you Need Test
You may need a blood urea nitrogen test if:
If your doctor suspects that you have kidney damage
If your kidney function needs to be evaluated
To help determine the effectiveness of dialysis treatment if
you're receiving hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis
As part of a blood test group to help diagnose a number of
other conditions, such as liver damage, urinary tract
obstruction, congestive heart failure or gastrointestinal
bleeding.
An abnormal BUN test result alone doesn't confirm any of these conditions
How test is performed:
Blood is drawn from the vein
Usually taken from inside of the elbow or back of the hand
For infants and children, the test is performed using a lancet to
puncture the skin
9. CRF- Chronic Renal Failure
This is a disease that exhibits the gradual loss of kidney
function. When CRF reaches an advanced stage, dangerous
levels of fluid, electrolytes and wastes can build up in your
body.
In the early stages of disease you may have a few symptoms.
It may not become apparent until your kidney function is
significantly impaired.
CRF is also known as chronic kidney disease
10. CRF- Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of CRF develop over time if kidney damage
progresses slowly. Signs and symptoms may include:
Nausea
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Fatigue and weakness
Sleep problems
Changes in urine output
Decreased mental sharpness
Muscle twitches and cramps
Hiccups
Swelling of feet and ankles
Persistent itching
Chest pain, if fluid builds up around the lining of the heart
Shortness of breath, if fluid builds up in the lungs
High blood pressure (hypertension) that's difficult to control
11. CRF- Causes
Diseases and conditions that commonly cause chronic kidney
disease include:
Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Glomerulonephritis (gloe-mer-u-lo-nuh-FRY-tis), an inflammation of the
kidney's filtering units (glomeruli)
Interstitial nephritis, an inflammation of the kidney's tubules and
surrounding structures
Polycystic kidney disease
Prolonged obstruction of the urinary tract, from conditions such as
enlarged prostate, kidney stones and some cancers
Vesicoureteral (ves-ih-koe-yoo-REE-ter-ul) reflux, a condition that
causes urine to back up into your kidneys
Recurrent kidney infection, also called pyelonephritis (pie-uh-lo-nuh-
FRY-tis)
12. CRF- Treatment
Depending on the underlying cause, some types of CRF can be treated.
Often, though, it has no cure.
The doctor will treat the following:
The underlying cause of your kidney disease: involves identifying the illness
or injury that originally damaged your kidneys. Treatment options will depend on
what's causing kidney damage.
Treat complications
High blood pressure medications
Medications to lower cholesterol levels
Medications to treat anemia
Medications to relieve swelling
Medications to protect your bones
A lower protein diet to minimize waste products in your blood
May also recommend a special diet. Diet with lower potassium foods, reduced
salt and limit protein.
Treatment for end-stage kidney disease:
Dialysis
Kidney Transplant
13. ESWL- Electracorporeal Shock
Wave Lithotripsy
This is a procedure uses shock waves to break a
kidney stone into small pieces that can more
easily travel through the urinary tract and pass
from the body.
Patient lies on a water cushion and a surgeon
uses an x-ray test to locate the stone.
After ESWL, stone fragments usually pass in the
urine for a few days and cause mild pain. If patient
has a larger stone, they may need more ESWL.
It involves local anesthesia or sedatives and is
typically an outpatient procedure.
14. RP- Retrograde Pyelogram
The RP test uses a dye to find out whether a kidney
stone or something else is blocking your urinary tract.
The doctor inserts a thin, lighted tube (cystoscope) into
the urethra. They then put a catheter through the
cystoscope and into a ureter. Dye is injected through
the catheter, and X-rays are taken.
The results would determine if there is blockage in
urinary tract:
Normal: the kidneys, ureters, and bladder appear normal.
Abnormal: the flow of the dye is blocked, either by a stone
or another urinary problem.
15. UTI- Urinary Tract Infection
UTI is an infection in any part of the urinary
system — kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
Infection limited to your bladder can be painful
and annoying. However, serious consequences
can occur if a UTI spreads to your kidneys.
There are 3 types of UTIs:
1. acute pyelonephritis- kidney infection
2. cystitis- bladder infection
3. urethritis- urethra infection
16. UTI- Symptoms
Urinary tract infections don't always cause
signs and symptoms, but when they do they
may include:
A strong, persistent urge to urinate
A burning sensation when urinating
Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
Urine that appears cloudy
Urine that appears red, bright pink or cola-colored
— a sign of blood in the urine
Strong-smelling urine
Pelvic pain, in women
Rectal pain, in men
17. UTI- Treatment
Doctors typically use antibiotics to treat urinary tract
infections.
Drugs commonly recommended for simple UTIs
include:
Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra, others)
Amoxicillin (Amoxil, Augmentin, others)
Nitrofurantoin (Furadantin, Macrodantin, others)
Ampicillin
Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
Levofloxacin (Levaquin)
Symptoms typically clear up within a few days of
treatment.
