[Acute renale failure in burns - causes, consequences and avoidance strategies].

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a common and dangerous complication in intensive care medicine. Especially critical ill patients, who are suffering from major burns, have a high risk to develop ARF as a consequence of their trauma. Many factors, including the trauma itself, the damage of soft tissue and consecutive rhabdomyolysis, the development of the burn illness and therapeutic interventions play also a major role in this context. These circumstances have a major impact on the morbidity and mortality of severely burned patients. The aim of this manuscript is to review the reasons for the development of an ARF in burn patients as well as its consequences; moreover it highlights potential strategies to avoid ARF in critically ill burned patients.