Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Test 2025 - Free CEN Practice Questions and Study Guide.

Decreased blood flow to the kidneys in pre-renal failure is primarily associated with conditions that affect the renal perfusion. The condition that leads to this is typically characterized by physiological changes impacting the blood supply, which can be due to various reasons, such as low blood volume, low blood pressure, or systemic vascular resistance alterations.

Obstruction of blood flow refers to situations where external or internal factors impede the normal flow of blood to the kidneys. This can happen due to conditions such as severe dehydration, heart failure, or shock. When blood flow is restricted or diminished, the kidneys receive inadequate oxygen and nutrients, leading to a failure to filter waste products effectively, which is a hallmark of pre-renal failure.

Acute tubular necrosis, while it is a significant cause of intrinsic renal failure, does not cause decreased blood flow to the kidneys directly but rather occurs as a result of injury to the renal tubules. Similarly, crush injury can lead to acute tubular necrosis if it results in significant muscle breakdown and release of myoglobin but is not a direct cause of decreased blood flow itself. Diabetes is a chronic condition that can lead to renal complications over time, but it does not inherently result in decreased blood flow in the acute sense as seen in pre