Recovery after prolonged oliguria.

To the Editor. —The report of a "unique" case of "Recovery after prolonged oliguria due to ethylene glycol intoxication" by Collins et al 1 is quite similar to our recent experience and prompts us to briefly record this second case. We agree that given close attention to detail, such a patient may survive in spite of prolonged oliguria and persistent severe renal failure. The patient, a 56-year-old man, drank ethylene glycol mistaking it for wine on April 10, 1969. He was hospitalized two weeks later because of oliguria, weakness, hematuria, and back pain. His blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level was 97 mg/100 ml and his potassium level was 6.9 mEq/liter. He was transferred to Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, after a urological procedure ruled out obstructive uropathy. He underwent repeated peritoneal dialysis from April 23, 1970, to June 15, 1970, a total of 53 days. His initial urine was grossly