Cardiac output and renal excretion rates during acute blood volume expansion in rats

Selected central vascular parameters and renal excretion rates were monitored in anesthetized rats after acute, isohemic blood volume expansion by 33 percent. The infusate was an equilibrated mixture of animals' own blood and isotonic, isoncotic (6 percent) bovine albumin. Expansion increased mean arterial pressure by 35 percent, mean central venous pressure (CVP) by 850 percent, cardiac output (CO) by 56 percent, hematocrit (Hct) by 25 percent, plasma protein concentration (Ppr) by 25 percent, renal excretion rates of volume by 4,400 percent, of sodium by 2,800 percent, and of potassium by 360 percent of the respective preinfusion value. Hct and Ppr measurements suggested that 15 min after the end of the infusion, only 33 percent of infused volume remained within the circulation and that there was little further change in this during the remainder of the experiment. At the end of the elevated renal response, CVP and CO alone had returned to control values. Renal excretion rates were highly correlated with CO, but they were delayed by 2-5 min with respect to it. The results suggest that the renal response to acute volume expansion does not primarily control blood volume. Cardiac output may be the controlled variable in the response.