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 temperature on admission was 20-34.9 degrees C. Sopor was present in 2 and various grades of coma were present in 10 patients. Arterial hypotension was recorded in 5, and shock in 9 patients. Increased serum creatinine level was found in 8 patients. The mean rectal temperature in the whole group was 31.3 degrees C +/- 4.7, ranging from 20.0 to 34.9 degrees C, and the mean serum creatinine level was 172.2 +/- 93.5, in range of 66.0 to 360.0 mumol/L. Negative correlation between those two parameters was found: r = -0.572. In 2 of them parameters of renal failure 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 patients all parameters were within the range of functional oliguria, in an other the urine sodium concentration serum showed acute renal failure, but all other findings showed borderline values between functional oliguria and acute renal failure. Twelve out of 14 patients died within 1-216 hours from admission.