While studying the toxic agent causes of Nephrotoxic Acute Tubular Necrosis (ATN) I came up with this little mnemonic acronym.

Dr. Sattar lists 6 common causes. The mnemonic is “ATN: HEARUM” for “Attention: Hear Them” We abbreviate Acute Tubular Necrosis as ATN (which you can sort of think of like the abbreviation at the beginning of a faxed letter “ATN: John Smith” to tell someone who the gets the letter/fax within the company you’re sending the fax to. Well, you want all of “’em” to “hear” who it goes to so you put “ATN:”

ATN: HEARUM stands for…

Acute Tubular Necrosis (ATN):
Heavy Metals
Ethylene Glycol
Aminoglycosides
Radiocontrast Dyes
Urate (Tumor Lysis Syndrome)
Myglobinuria (Crush Injury, Rhabdomyolysis)

I try to come up with mnemonic devices for remember the acronyms themselves so that a few months from now I can remember the acronym associated with the disease because I know I’ll forget it (and then the acronym is no good!).