RENAL FUNCTION DURING GENERAL ANESTHESIA AND OPERATION

Abstract

Interest in renal function during anesthesia and operation and in the postoperative period has increased greatly in recent years. There has been an intensive effort to gain further knowledge about renal activity in surgical patients, with a greater appreciation of the subtle physiological changes that occur during and after operation. Renal function was not previously emphasized in care of surgical patients because of pressing demands for study of cardiovascular function and respiration, which are immediate problems in every surgical patient. Although not so apparent, the influence of the kidney on the ultimate success of surgical procedures is no less striking. This paper reviews briefly some of the aspects of renal function during anesthesia and surgery. Perhaps it is not generally realized that the kidney is a circulatory organ of considerable importance; it normally accommodates approximately 25% of the total cardiac output. The kidney undoubtedly has an important role in circulatory