The influence of warm ischaemia on renal function and pathology

Comparison of prolonged warm and cold ischemia on the solitary kidney during partial nephrectomy in a rabbit model

The aim of this study was to investigate the patterns of renal function recovery during partial nephrectomy (PN) on an experimental solitary kidney rabbit model and establish the upper tolerable time limits of applied ischemia. Forty-eight New Zealand rabbits underwent an open right nephrectomy and after 30 days, the animals were clustered into five groups (A, B, C, D, E). The first four groups received an open left PN, under different types of ischemia. Groups A (n = 8) and B (n = 10) were subjected to 90 and 60 min of warm ischemia (WI), respectively, while groups C (n = 10) and D (n = 10) received 90 and 120 min of cold ischemia (CI) with ice-slush cooling. Group E (n = 10) served as sham group. Serum determinations of creatinine (SCr) and BUN were recorded preoperatively and on postoperative days (POD) 1, 3, 6 and 15. The animals were euthanized and the remaining kidneys were harvested and evaluated microscopically. The type and duration of ischemia were statistically significant parameters (P < 0.001). Groups B, C and D exhibited a similar pattern of recovery from trial initiation to the 15th POD (P = 0.788 and P = 0.068, respectively). Group A was extremely differentiated, with 100% mortality caused by uremia. The microscopic findings were consistent to the serum biochemistry. In our solitary kidney rabbit model, the upper limits of tolerable WI seem to be set on 60 min. CI can safely preserve the model's renal function--even up to 120 min.

Laparoscopic warm renal ischemia in the solitary porcine kidney model

OBJECTIVES

To determine the effect of a laparoscopic approach on warm renal ischemia in the pig with a solitary kidney. Although the maximal safe duration for warm ischemia during open partial nephrectomy is commonly accepted to be 30 minutes, the maximal safe ischemic time during laparoscopic partial nephrectomy has not been previously determined.

METHODS

Sixteen farm pigs underwent unilateral laparoscopic right nephrectomy. Two weeks later, the pigs underwent complete laparoscopic mobilization of the remaining left kidney and were randomized to complete hilar clamp times of 0, 30, 60, or 90 minutes. Serum creatinine was evaluated before right nephrectomy and at days 0, 2, 4, 7, 14, and 30 after renal ischemia during laparoscopy. All renal specimens were evaluated by an experienced nephropathologist in a blinded fashion.

RESULTS

The serum creatinine remained stable at all points in the control and 30-minute ischemia groups. The serum creatinine level rose initially on days 2 and 4 in the 60-minute and 90-minute ischemia groups but returned to baseline by day 7. At harvest, no statistically significant difference was found among the groups in serum creatinine or histologic features.

CONCLUSIONS

Renal ischemic times up to 90 minutes during laparoscopy were well tolerated by the solitary porcine kidney. Possible explanations for this finding include the protective effect of a solitary kidney and the potential protective effect of relative ischemic preconditioning provided by the pneumoperitoneum.

Improving the quality of kidneys from non-heart-beating donors, using streptokinase: an animal model

BACKGROUND

Non-heart-beating donors (NHBD) offer a promising potential to increase the cadaveric organ donor pool, especially for kidneys. However, almost half of NHBD kidneys are discarded after viability assessment. This wastage is costly in both human and monetary terms. Intravascular thrombosis at the time of donor death is an event leading to failure in the viability assessment. We have developed an animal model to investigate the effects of the addition of streptokinase to the in situ flush medium before transplant in an attempt to redress the situation.

METHODS

Two groups of eight healthy young Landrace Yorkshire white pigs were entered into the study. Both groups were subjected to approximately 70 min warm ischemia. Both groups received an intravascular flush with 4 L of Marshall's solution with heparin (1000 IU/L); one group of pigs also had streptokinase (1.5 MIU/L) added. After donor nephrectomy, all kidneys were machine perfused for 4 hr. Data on perfusion characteristics were taken and samples of kidney effluent were assayed for tissue damage biomarkers, glutathione S-transferase (GST) and alanine aminopeptidase (Ala-AP). Wedge sections of porcine kidneys were taken at the end of perfusion, for histological analysis.

RESULTS

Data on machine perfusion parameters (temperature, mean pressure index, resistance) indicate better cooling, lower resistance, and lower mean pressure index in the streptokinase-treated group of pigs. GST and Ala-AP levels were increased in the nonstreptokinase group perfusates. Histopathological analysis of porcine kidneys indicated more ischemic injury and tissue damage in the nonstreptokinase group.

CONCLUSION

The use of streptokinase in this porcine NHBD model conferred benefits to donor kidneys when assessed by machine perfusion. Markers of biochemical injury indicated that less renal tissue damage occurred with the incorporation of streptokinase in the in situ flush medium.

Pretransplantation assessment of renal viability with NADH fluorimetry

BACKGROUND

A pathophysiologic feature possibly involved in ischemic injury in transplant kidneys is mitochondrial dysfunction caused by disintegration of oxidative metabolic pathways. Because the ability to synthesize ATP by respiratory activity determines the organ's capacity to recover from ischemic injury, an assessment of respiratory activity may provide information related to graft viability.

METHODS

NADH fluorimetry can be used to monitor kidney cortex metabolism noninvasively. During perfusion with (an)-aerobic perfusate, NADH fluorescence images were recorded. We evaluated the NADH oxidation kinetics of 20 rat kidneys, which were divided over four experimental groups. For six minimally damaged kidneys and six kidneys that had been stored for one hour at 37 degrees C, perfusion was followed by transplantation. We related the kinetic parameters of these kidneys with their post-transplantation function and histology. The transplant function was monitored by serum creatinine and urea levels.

RESULTS

Storage of transplant kidneys for one hour at 37 degrees C significantly reduced the post-transplantation function. Isolated perfusion of grafts, however, was not detrimental for renal function. The rate of NADH oxidation decreased with decreasing graft quality, and a good correlation between NADH oxidation kinetics and post-transplantation function was found.

CONCLUSIONS

A reduction of NADH oxidation rates as a consequence of warm ischemia supports the view that mitochondrial respiratory activity is impaired by ischemic injury. The correlation between NADH oxidation kinetics in perfused grafts and their post-transplantation function indicates that NADH fluorimetry may be useful in predicting the viability of preserved grafts prior to transplantation.

Naloxone in renal ischemia: a functional and microanatomical study

Naloxone HCl (Nx) improves cardiopulmonary performance, reverses cellular hypoxia, and stabilizes lysosomal membranes in shock states. However, no detailed study has yet explored its potential role in renal ischemia, which is inevitable in transplantation and surgical and nonsurgical conditions associated with hypotension and shock. This functional and microanatomical study was carried out on dogs subjected to renal warm ischemia with contralateral nephrectomy. Group I (control; N = 4) had bilateral renal dissection and right nephrectomy. Groups II-IV had their kidney pedicles cross-clamped for 60 min and then reperfused. Group II (N = 9) ischemic kidneys received no treatment. Group III (N = 6) kidneys were flushed with pure Nx HCl (2 mg/kg) during ischemia. Group IV (N = 6) dogs received one iv Nx bolus (2 mg/kg) before clamping and another dose before declamping. Biopsies for adenine nucleotides, histology, and ultrastructure were obtained before ischemia, before reflow, and 15 min and 7 days after reflow. Serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were measured daily. Ischemia induced significant renal dysfunction, which was reversed by systemic Nx. Nx offered a remarkable protection against postischemic structural damage. Seventy percent of Group II cortical sections showed grade 4 acute tubular necrosis (ATN), and severe residual damage after a week. Eighty-three percent of Group IV sections showed grade 1 ATN and no residual damage after a week. One week survival was 33% in Group II and 100% in Group IV. Nx can be useful in prevention of acute renal failure in clinical situations with arterial hypotension and shock.

Evaluation of renal ischemia with 99mTc-pyrophosphate

Renal ischemia injury was induced by transient 30-min occlusion of the main artery in five rabbits and by transient 60-min occlusion in four rabbits. The vessels to the contralateral kidneys were ligated in all nine animals and in six additional control rabbits. Renal blood flow was restored immediately following the transient ischemia. Twenty-four hours later, 99mTc-pyrophosphate was injected and renal uptake was monitored for 100 s and 10-min intervals for 90 min following injection. At 90 min postinjection, the animals were killed and the percent injected dose remaining in the kidneys was calculated for three animals in each group. At 60 min postinjection, in vivo activity in the 30-min ischemic kidneys was 2.3 times greater than that of controls, and activity in the 60-min ischemic kidneys 4.6 times greater than that of controls. These results suggest that 99mTc-pyrophosphate scanning may be useful in assessing slight ischemic damage to the kidney.

The effect of chlorpromazine and heparin pretreatment on kidney viability and function after warm ischaemic damage

The influence of chlorpromazine and heparin pretreament on kidney function and histology has been investigated in rabbit kidneys damaged by warm ischaemia. Three experimental groups were investigated. One in which animals were pretreated with heparin, one group pretreated with heparin and chlorpromazine, and one group without pretreatment. The left renal artery was temporarily clamped for 3 hours and the kidneys recirculated. After 2-3 weeks a delayed contralateral nephrectomy was made, and after another 2-3 weeks all kidneys were studied histologically. Kidney function was measured by determination of serum-creatinine. The experiments showed, that all animals survived with impaired renal function. Pretreatment with chlorpromazine and heparin did not affect the final results. Secerity of the ischaemic damage, histologically evaluated was the same in all groups.