Gentamicin, Infections, and Acute Tubular Necrosis in Children

The incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute kidney failure (ARF), in emergency hospitals worldwide is highly independent of its different underlying causes. The use of certain antibiotics, like gentamicin, which determines the rapid loss of kidney ability to remove waste and stabilize the balance of fluids and electrolytes, finally causing AKI in child, is well known, and far from uncommon. Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is a medical condition that consists of kidney disorder and involves the death of tubular cells. ATN is clinically characterized by AKI, which is defined as a rapid (ranging from hours to days) decline in the glomerular filtration rate (GRF), and classified as an intrinsic, or renal, cause of kidney injury. The tubules are responsible for transporting urine to the ureters, and concentrating the metabolic byproducts and salts by reabsorbing ninety-nine percent of the water. The terms ischemic and nephrotoxic ATN are frequently used synonymously with ischemic or nephrotoxic AKI. We report three cases of AKI induced by ATN diagnosed in complicated pediatric infectious diseases, in relation with gentamicin treatment.