The most common reason for a renal consult in a hospitalized patient is acute renal failure (ARF). This new companion book to Brenner and Rector's THE KIDNEY provides the reader with the complete information necessary to understand, diagnose, and treat this serious and challenging condition. The first part of the book describes recent progress in the understanding of the pathophysiology of ARF, explaining the tremendous strides in the molecular and cellular aspects of cell injury and recovery. The remainder (and majority) of the text emphasizes the clinical spectrum and management of the different disease processes causing ARF. In these chapters, ARF is discussed in terms of its many associated disease processes such as pigment nephropathy, burns, infectious disease, and gastrointestinal and liver disease. This format allows for rapid referral and an in-depth understanding of all clinical aspects of ARF, including its most important aspect of management: to prevent the disease from becoming chronic, ultimately leading to dialysis and then transplantation.