Effect of pentobarbital and hemorrhage on renal autoregulation

Renal blood flow and hemodynamic autoregulation were assessed in seven chronically instrumented canines studied in the conscious state and after pentobarbital anesthesia administration (30 mg/kg). The effects of acute arterial hemorrhage (10 and 15 ml/kg) were also studied. In the conscious state, no significant changes in autoregulation were observed following 10 mg/kg hemorrhage. With pentobarbital and 10 ml/kg hemorrhage, a significant change in the limits of autoregulation was noted (autoregulatory limit 78.5 +/- 16.6 vs. 88.4 +/- 25.3 mmHg, P less than 0.05). Four animals were also studied in the conscious state following 15 ml/kg acute arterial hemorrhage. In these animals, mean arterial pressure decreased (from 105.0 +/- 11.4 to 87.8 +/- 7.2 mmHg, P less than 0.025) but renal blood flow (from 293 +/- 38 to 272 +/- 65 ml/min) and autoregulatory limit did not change. We conclude that renal blood flow is unaffected by hemorrhage or pentobarbital alone. In the conscious state, renal pressure-flow autoregulation is maintained despite moderate hemorrhage and systemic hypotension. The lower limit of autoregulation is significantly changed by even minor hemorrhage in the pentobarbital-anesthetized state.