Effect of acute hypocapnia on some aspects of renal function in anaesthetized dogs

Hypocapnia was induced in dogs lightly anaesthetized with nitrous oxide and fentanyl. Measurements were made of estimated renal plasma flow (ERPF), glomerular filtration rate, vascular resistance and urine production. During the (short) duration of the experiments hypocapnia was found to be associated with ERPF twice that during normocapnia. Glomerular filtration rate and urine output were increased by hypocapnia in an approximately similar proportion, whilst renal vascular resistance halved. Though some of the experimental animals had a degree of metabolic acidosis this was thought not to have greatly influenced the results.