Bilateral Nephrectomy Impairs Cerebral Oxygen Delivery After Acute Hemodilution Anemia in Rats.

We observed that bilateral nephrectomy resulted in changes in baseline physiology, including a lower HR. Hemodilution resulted in a comparable reduction in hemoglobin concentration, without difference in P O or P CO . MAP decreased more profoundly immediately after hemodilution in nephrectomised animals, and recovered with time. Nephrectomy resulted in a significant drop in brain microvascular pO (P O ) immediately after hemodilution. This was not observed in sham controls. These data suggest that the kidney serves an important sensing role during acute anemia which supports cardiovascular responses and preserves the adequacy of brain tissue oxygen delivery. Hypoxia sensing by the kidney, and other integrative systemic mechanisms, may be central to these findings.