Renal Physiology Flashcards
How much blood do the kidneys receive each minute?
over a litre
What is the Rate of blood filtration per day?
45 gallons (180L)/day
How much blood do you have in your body?
7 -8 L
How much times is your entire blood volume filtered in a day?
20 - 25x
How much urine is eliminated per day?
1.5 L
What does obligate urine production mean?
Happens regardless of anything else, including dehydration
What is the specialized filtering unit of the kidneys?
Nephrons
Where are the kidneys?
Retroperitoneal in the superior lumbar region
Which kidney is lower than the other and why?
The right kidney is lower due to being crowded by the liver
Where do all the fluids enter and exit the kidney?
The renal hilus
What is the cortex of the kidney?
granular Superficial region
What is the medulla of the kidney?
Internal anatomy of the kidney, contains renal pyramids
What is the renal pelvis?
Flat funnel shaped tube lateral to the hilus
What are the major calyces?
Large branches of the renal pelvis that collect urine draining from papillae and empty it into the pelvis
How much systemic cardiac output flows thought the kidneys each minute?
one-fourth (1200ml)
What is the nerve supply of the kidneys?
The Renal plexus
What is glomerular filtration?
Excess fluid and waste products are filtered into collecting tubules from the blood
How many nephrons does a healthy adult have?
0.8 - 1.5 million
What is the renal corpuscle?
The Glomerulus and it’s capsule, Bowman’s capsule
What is the glomerulus?
Tuft of capillaries associated with a renal tubule
What is Bowman’s capsule?
Blind, cup shaped end of a renal tubule that surrounds the glomerulus
What do the epithelial podocytes of the capsule do?
The openings between the foot processes of the podocytes allow filtrate to pass into capsular space
Why is the afferent arteriole bigger?
More blood comes into the glomerulus than comes out
What are the two types of nephrons?
85% Cortical nephrons
15% Juxtamedullary nephrons
Where are the Juxtamedullary nephrons and what do they do?
Going from cortex into the medulla, they have longer loops of Henle that produce more concentrated urine and have vasa recta surrounding their loop of Henle
What are the two capillary beds of the nephrons?
Glomerulus
Peritubular capillaries