Week 10 - Renal Physiology and Anesthesia Flashcards
What are the different homeostatic processes the renal system plays a vital role in?
– Regulation of H2O and electrolyte balance – Regulation of body fluid osmolality – Electrolyte composition in the body – Excretion of metabolic wastes – Regulation of arterial blood pressure – Secretion of hormones – Bone metabolism – Hematopoiesis (erythropoietin)
What are the two major layers of the kidney?
Outer Cortex and Inner Medulla
What is the nephron of the kidney?
Functional unit of the kidney
- each kidney contains 1 million nephrons
- body cant regenerate nephrons
- after age 40 the number of nephrons decreases by 10% for every 10 years of age
What are the 6 major components of a nephron?
– Glomerulus – Proximal convoluted tubule – Loop of Henle – Distal renal tubule – Collecting tubule – Juxtaglomerular apparatus
What are the characteristics of the glomerulus?
– Network of capillaries – High hydrostatic pressure of 60 mmHg – Covered with epithelial cells – Encased in bowman's capsule (Filtered fluid enters Bowman's capsule and then the proximal tubule)
What are the characteristics of the long tubule of the kideny?
– Proximal tubule lies in the renal cortex – Loop dips into the renal medulla and forms the loop of henle --- Thin walled – The ascending loop goes back into the cortex --- Thick walled – Terminates in short segment called the macula densa
What are the two classes of nephrons?
Cortical Nephron (80%): short nephron loop and glomerulus further from the corticomedullary junction -efferent arteriole supplies peritubular capillaries
Juxtamedullary Nephron (20%): has long nephron loop and glomerulus closer to the corticomedullary junction -efferent arteriole supplies vasa recta
What are the different mechanisms of renal excretion?
Glomerular Filtration: large amounts of protein free fluid are filtered into Bowman’s Capsule
Reabsorption: filtered substances are reabsorbed from the tubules and back into the blood
Secretion: some substances are secreted into the renal tubule so that the amount in the urine is greater than the amount found in the glomerular filtrate
What is glomerular filtration determined by?
Hydrostatic and Colloid Osmotic forces across the glomerular capillary basement membrane
What is the function of the glomerular capillary basement membrane?
- Restricts filtration of substances with a large molecular size
- It is negatively charged thus prevents the filtration of negatively charged substances
- some plasma proteins like albumin are negatively charged and the charge not the size prevents filtration
- early in some renal diseases, this negative charge is lost and proteinuria occurs
What are determinants of GFR?
- Hydrostatic pressure in the glomerular capillaries
- Hydrostatic pressure in Bowman’s capsule
- Glomerular capillary colloid osmotic pressure
- Bowman’s capsule colloid osmotic pressure — GFR = Pcap - (PBC + COPcap)
- Normal is 120mL/min
- life threatening when GFR is < 30 mL/min
What does the measurement of GFR tell you?
Renal Clearance – way of quantifying how efficiently the kidney clears the blood of various substances
- can use inulin (polymer of fructose that is not produced in the body and isn’t metabolized)
- Creatinine is a convenient way because no artificial substance is necessary
What percent of cardiac output supplies the kidneys?
20-25% of cardiac output (normal is 1200mL/min)
- renal artery comes off aorta and enters the hilum – branches to form the interlobar arteries, arcuate arteries, interlobular arteries and arterioles
- 90% renal blood flood is to the cortex and 10% is to the medulla
What determines renal blood flow?
The pressure gradient across the renal vasculature
RBF = (renal artery pressure - renal vein pressure) / total renal vascular resistance
What two mechanisms control autoregulation of the renal system?
Tubuloglomerular Feedback
Myogenic mechanism achieves autoregulation by changing renal vascular resistance as the arterial blood pressure changes
*urine output is NOT autoregulated
What pressure range is renal blood flow and GFR autoregulated between?
80 - 180 mmHg
What are the regulators of renal blood flow increase RBF or GFR?
- Prostaglandins: appear protective and prevent renal vasoconstriction/ischemia
- Nitric oxide: increases RBF and GFR
- Bradykinin: locally produced vasodilator (increases RBF and GFR)
- Atrial Natriuretic Peptide: secreted by heart with HTN and expanded blood volume (increases GFR)
- Dopamine: proximal tubule produces dopamine (increases RBF and inhibits renin release)
What are the regulators of renal blood flow decrease RBF or GFR?
- Sympathetic nerves: SNS stimulation = vasoconstriction in both afferent and efferent arterioles (decreases RBF and GFR)
- Angiotensin II: constricts afferent and efferent arterioles
- Endothelin: potent vasoconstrictor of both afferent and efferent arterioles (may be responsible for some renal damage in DMII)
- Adenosine: decreases RBF and GFR by causing vasoconstriction of the afferent arteriole
What are the three principles of membrane transport?
Passive Transport – doesn’t require energy, moves down concentration gradient
Facilitated Diffusion – involves a membrane transporter, moves with and against electrochemical gradients
Active Transport – requires energy in the form of ATP, sodium/potassium pump most common active transport in the kidney
What is a transport maximum?
Most substances that are actively secreted or reabsorbed have a limit on the rate of transport (occurs due to saturation of transport system)
- Glucose: transport max is approx 250-300mg/dL (glucosuria occurs when level exceeds this)
- Creatinine also has transport max
What are the functions of the proximal tubule?
- Sodium Reabsorption (Major function) – 67% of solute reabsorption, facilitated transport transport from tubule to cell
- Reabsorption of glucose, potassium, calcium, phosphate, uric acid and urea
- Water reabsorption – driving pressure is the osmotic gradient created as solute is reabsorbed
- Protein reabsorption – normally filtered and reabsorbed, easily saturated and found in urine if significant amount present (early sign of renal disease)
What can occur if a patient is taking two organic anions or two organic cations?
Excretion may be delayed
What is the function of the loop of Henle?
- Water reabsorbed in descending loop
- Thick ascending loop is impermeable to water but solute reabsorption occurs
- Loop diuretics work by inhibiting the reabsorption of Na in the ascending loop (reabsorption of K and Mg is also inhibited)
- Because solute and not water is reabsorbed in ascending loop the osmolality of tubular fluid is reduced
What is the juxtaglomerular complex?
Formed by the first part of the distal tubule
Provides feedback control of GFR and RBF
Divided into cortical and medullary portions
What is the function of the cortical tubules?
– Secrete K+
– Aldosterone mediated Na+ reabsorption
– Acid-base balance
– Freely permeable to urea
What is the function of the medullary tubules?
Normally impermeable to water but in the presence of ADH, water is reabsorbed