General renal and AKI Flashcards
Name 3 situations in which it may be useful to determine GFR
- Evaluation of renal function in patients where kidney disease is suspected, but no azotemia is present (PU/PD, low USG cases)
- Screening tool for patients where incipient renal disease is suspected (breed with known nephropathies)
- Patients undergoing administration of potentially nephrotoxic drugs
What are the key characteristics of markers used to measure GFR?
- Freely filtered at the glomerulus
- Not circulate bound to plasma proteins
- No undergo renal tubular absorption or secretion
- Not be nephrotoxic or alter GFR
Although exact values vary with method, what is typically considered a normal GFR for dogs? Cats?
- Dogs: 3.5-4.5 mL/min/kg
- Cats: 2.5-3.5 mL/min/kg
**May not be appropriate for dogs <10kg or >50kg
Is GFR higher or lower in puppies/kittens?
Higher
How is renal or urinary clearance used to evaluate GFR?
An amount of substance (endogenous or exogenous) is assayed in both the plasma and urine over a time period (usually 12-24 hours). Requires a urinary catheter to completely empty the bladder
What is the formula for urinary clearance?
Clearance (mL/min) = (Uv x Uc)/Pc
Uv = urine flow rate (mL/min)
Uc = urine concentration of the solute
Pc = plasma concentration of the solute
What is the gold standard method for determining GFR?
Urinary clearance of inulin
How is plasma clearance used to estimate GFR?
Timed plasma samples are collected to measure markers of plasma clearance - exogenous creatinine, iohexol, radiolabeled markers
Why is plasma clearance of inulin not used when urinary clearance is used?
40% of inulin is excreted via non-renal routes, so using plasma alone without urine is not appropriate
What equation is used to calculate plasma clearance?
Clearance = D/AUS
D = dose of the substance administered
AUC = area under the plasma concentration vs time curve
What surrogate marker of GFR is reabsorbed in the renal tubules and is resorbed more with slower tubular flow rates (such as in hypovolemic or dehydrated patients)?
BUN
What is the ideal timing for measurement of BUN/creatinine in dogs and cats?
8-12 hours of fasting - avoids the effects of dietary protein ingestion
What is the difference in creatinine between puppies and adult dogs? In kittens and cats?
- Dogs: creatinine gradually increases over the first year of life, then remains stable or mildly increases until 8-10 years
- Cats: kittens have relatively high creatinine at birth, but it is similar to an adult or slightly lower by 8 weeks of age
What dog breed and what cat breed have higher creatinine concentrations?
Greyhounds
Birmans
Describe the relationship between creatinine and GFR? Does this make creatinine a sensitive or insensitive marker of renal function?
Exponential relationship, so creatinine is an insensitive indicator of renal function (change in GFR results in only a small change in creatinine)
What is cystatin C?
Low molecular weight proteinase inhibitor that is produced at a constant rate and freely filtered through the glomerulus
How are proteins reabsorbed in the proximal tubule?
Through megalin and cubulin mediated endocytosis
What is lower limit of protein detection on colorimetric dipsticks?
30mg/dL
What is the sensitivity and specificity of urine protein dipsticks?
Sensitivity ~80% but specificity is very poor, especially in cats
What may cause false negative results on a urine protein dipstick?
- Bence Jones proteinuria
- Dilute urine
- Acidic urine
What may cause false positive results on a urine protein dipstick, especially in cats?
- Alkaline urine
- Highly concentrated urine
- Pyuria/hematuria
What is microalbuminuria?
Concentration of albumin in the urine that is >1 mg/dL but lower than 30mg/dL
How can microalbuminuria be detected?
Species specific ELISA or point of care semi-quantitative tests
What patients should be screened for microalbuminuria?
- When a low level of proteinuria may be indicative of the onset of hereditary disease
- When there is concern for a false negative UPC
- Monitoring of known microalbuminuria