Acute Renal Failure in Horses

Question 1

What promotes renal blood flow?

Answer 1

Prostaglandins

Question 2

Innervation of the kidney is ______________

Answer 2

autonomic (involuntary or unconscious)

Question 3

What are renal tubular cells susceptible to?

Answer 3

• Hypoxia & Ischemia
• Toxins

Question 4

(T/F) Dysfunction in one body system can impair renal function

Answer 4

True

Question 5

Is an exaggerated defense response of the body to a noxious stressor (infection, trauma, surgery, acute inflammation, ischemia or reperfusion, or malignancy, to name a few) to localize and then eliminate the endogenous or exogenous source of the insult

Answer 5

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)

Question 6

Where does most (80%) of the blood that is going into the kidney go?

Answer 6

Cortex

Question 7

Low bicarbonate levels in the blood are a sign of _________________

Answer 7

metabolic acidosis

Question 8

What would indicate evidence of renal injury?

Answer 8

Azotemia
Electrolyte abnormalities

Question 9

What is one of the main functions of the kidney?

Answer 9

Balance electrolytes
(retain Sodium)

Question 10

Azotemia in Acute Renal Failure:
↓ renal perfusion / dehydration

Answer 10

Pre-renal

Question 11

Azotemia in Acute Renal Failure:
Ischemia, tubular necrosis, toxicity

Answer 11

Renal

Question 12

Azotemia in Acute Renal Failure:
Obstruction, distal infections

Answer 12

Post-renal

Question 13

(T/F) Acute Renal Failure in horses is reversible and has a good prognosis with proper treatment

Answer 13

True

Question 14

How can you tell that the azotemia in a horse is renal or pre-renal?

Answer 14

A ~50% decrease in serum creatinine after 24 h of fluid therapy suggests that it is pre-renal

Question 15

(T/F) Acute kidney injury in horses (as in other species) doesn’t start as a primary renal disorder but secondary to conditions in other organs or nephrotoxins

Answer 15

True

Question 16

(T/F) Many of these horses transition to CRF, which also has a good prognosis in horses

Answer 16

False, have a guarded to poor prognosis in horses

Question 17

What lab findings tend to be consistent with dehydration/hypoperfusion?

Answer 17

Hyperlactatemia and Hemoconcentration

Question 18

(T/F) Prostaglandin E2 and adenosine are major renal vasodilators

Answer 18

True

Question 19

What are the roles that Prostaglandin E2 and Adenosine play?

Answer 19

They play an important role in regulating renal blood flow (increasing) and substances that interfere with their synthesis (e.g. NSAIDs) can alter renal function

Question 20

(T/F) Cells in the renal cortex are more susceptible to hypoxia than in the medulla

Answer 20

False

Question 21

(T/F) Hepatic renin cleaves angiotensinogen produced in the renal cortex

Answer 21

False, angiotensinogen is produced in the liver and is found continuously circulating in the plasma

Question 22

(T/F) Vasopressin and nitric oxide are vasoconstrictors

Answer 22

False, Nitric oxide is a vasodilator

Question 23

(T/F) An increased hematocrit with azotemia in acutely ill horses suggests prerenal azotemia

Answer 23

True, hemoconcentration with azotemia are frequent findings in horses with prerenal azotemia due to volume depletion