HYPOTHERMIA AND ACUTE-RENAL-FAILURE IN THE ELDERLY

During 1993 - 1998, in winter time 14 elderly patients: 8 female and 6 male aged 65 - 88, were treated because of hypothermia. Rectal temper ature on admission. was 20 - 34.9 degrees C. Sopor was present in 2 an d various grades of coma were present in 10 patients. Arterial hypoten sion was recorded in 5, and shock in 9 patients. Increased serum creat inine level was found in 8 patients. The mean rectal temperature in th e whole group was 31.3 degrees C +/- 4.7 ranging from 20.0 to 34.9 deg rees C, and the mean serum creatinine level was 172.2 +/- 93.5 in rang e of 66.0 to 360.0 mu mol/L. Negative correlation between those two pa rameters was found: r = -0.572. In 2 of then parameters of renal failu re were analyzed: urine sodium concentration, creatinine urine/plasma ratio, urine osmolality, urine/plasma osmolality ratio, renal failure index and fractional excretion, of filtered sodium. In one of the pati ents all parameters were within the range of functional oliguria, in a n, other the urine sodium concentration serum showed acute renal failu re, but all other findings showed borderline values between functional oliguria and acute renal failure. Twelve out of 14 patients died with in 1-216 hours from admission.