The effect of infrarenal aortic reconstruction on glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow

Compromised patients with aortic disease are vulnerable to various complications from aortic reconstruction. These complications are related to changes in systemic haemodynamics during aortic cross-clamping, which leads to cardiac stress and alteration in regional blood flow to different organs. One of the most important postoperative complications is renal failure which is associated with a high mortality rate. Circulatory alterations within the kidney must play a role in the pathogenesis of renal dysfunction that may follow infrarenal aortic cross-clamping and reconstruction. To study the effects of abdominal aortic reconstruction on renal function and perfusion, we measured prospectively the glomerular filtration rate (GFR, n = 59), effective renal plasma flow (ERPF, n = 38) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, n = 38) in patients undergoing elective infrarenal aortic reconstruction. Radionuclide techniques were used. The three parameters were measured at three time points: preoperatively, postoperatively and 6 months after surgery. The LVEF was measured in order to reflect the patient's cardiac status and pre-renal perfusion. We also measured the three parameters in two control groups of patients: a group of patients undergoing major colonic surgery and a group of patients with arterial disease under conservative management. Six months after surgery the GFR had decreased in 67% of aortic reconstruction patients. Overall GFR in the aortic reconstruction group decreased by a mean of 9 ml min-1 (p = 0.007). This was associated with a decrease in the ERPF in 48.5% of patients. The mean decrease in ERPF in the aortic reconstruction group was 74 ml min-1 (p = 0.05). The LVEF was unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)