Acute Renal Failure — The Promise of New Therapies

Abstract

Acute tubular necrosis is common in acutely ill hospitalized patients, with mortality rates exceeding 50 percent.¹ The regenerative capacity of kidneys damaged by acute tubular necrosis is substantial, and minimizing renal injury or accelerating renal recovery may therefore have a substantial effect on patients' survival. Accordingly, identifying new therapeutic approaches to alter the natural history of the disease and reduce morbidity and mortality is a pressing challenge.² In this issue of the Journal, Allgren et al. report the results of a prospective study of anaritide, a 25-amino-acid synthetic form of atrial natriuretic peptide, in patients with acute tubular necrosis.³ The . . .