STUDIES OF RENAL OXYGEN CONSUMPTION IN MAN. I. THE EFFECT OF TUBULAR LOADING (PAH), WATER DIURESIS AND OSMOTIC (MANNITOL) DIURESIS 1

Abstract

By means of clearance technics with renal vein catheterization renal oxygen consumption has been measured in unanesthetized man before and during (a) saturation of the tubular transport mechanism for PAH (para-aminohippurate), (b) water diuresis, and (c) osmotic diuresis induced by mannitol. The mean renal oxygen consumption in 15 subjects was 6.24 cc/100 g./min. with a standard deviation of 2.07 and a standard error of the mean of 0.54. The mean renal arteriovenous oxygen difference was 1.43 vol.% with a standard deviation of 0.39 and a standard error of the mean of 0.10. These values are in reasonably close agreement with in vitro work. There was no statistically significant change in renal oxygen consumption between the control and test measurements. These data suggest that the bulk of oxygen consumed by the kidney is used for purposes not measurable by external work. The data suggest that any beneficial results of special diets in renal disease do not result from resting the kidney by decreasing the oxygen requirement as a result of diminution of external work.