Treatment:

The goals are to treat emergency symptoms and prevent or treat complications. You may need to stay in a hospital for close observation because of the risk of internal blood loss from an injured kidney.

Nonsurgical treatments for kidney injury may include:

• Analgesics for pain relief
• Bed rest for 1 - 2 weeks or until bleeding is reduced
• Close observation and treatment for symptoms of kidney failure
• Dietary restrictions
• Medications to treat damage caused by toxic substances or illnesses (for example, chelation therapy for lead poisoning or allopurinol to lower uric acid in the blood due to gout)
• Stopping medications or exposure to substances that may have injured the kidney
• Medications such as corticosteroids or immunosuppressants if the injury was caused by inflammation
• Treatment of acute kidney failure

Surgical treatments for kidney injury may include:

• Surgery to repair a "fractured" or torn kidney, torn blood vessels, torn ureter, or similar injury
• Surgery to remove the entire kidney (nephrectomy), drain the space around the kidney, or stop the bleeding (angioembolization)

Surgery may be needed to treat a ureter injury.

Expectations (prognosis):

The outcome depends on the cause and extent of injury. The damage may be mild and reversible, immediately life-threatening, or long-term and causing complications.

The kidney may return to normal function, or it may go into acute or chronic failure.

Complications:

• Acute kidney failure, one or both kidneys
• Bleeding (may be minor or severe)
• Bruising of the kidney
• Chronic kidney failure, one or both kidneys
• Infection (peritonitis, sepsis)
• Pain
• Renal artery stenosis
• Renal hypertension
• Shock
• Urinary tract infection

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of an injury to the kidney or ureter, especially if you have a history of:

• Exposure to toxic substances
• Illness
• Infection
• Physical injury

Go to the emergency room or call the local emergency number (such as 911) if you have decreased urine output after a kidney injury. This may be a symptom of kidney failure.