The effect of loop diuretics on the long-term outcome of post-ischaemic acute renal failure in the rat.

The effects of continuous treatment with loop-acting diuretics on the long-term functional and histopathological outcome in kidneys subjected to 45 min of warm ischaemia were studied. One month after the primary damage the inulin clearance in the untreated kidneys was 0.44 +/- 0.05 ml min-1, improving significantly to 0.69 +/- 0.11 ml min-1 in furosemide-treated animals and to 0.75 +/- 0.09 ml min-1 in those treated with piretanide. Urine osmolality increased from 986 +/- 89 mosmol kg-1 in the untreated animals to 1479 +/- 195 mosmol kg-1 in the furosemide-treated ones. At the same time the total area of the outer medulla occupied by Tamm-Horsfall protein cylinders decreased from 7.0 +/- 1.2% in the untreated animals to 3.6 +/- 0.52% in the treated ones. It is concluded that by decreasing the number of nephrons blocked by Tamm-Horsfall cylinders an improvement in the function of ischaemically damaged kidneys can be achieved. This blockade, also called secondary damage, is of critical prognostic importance for the long-term outcome of the ischaemic renal failure. Treatment of the animals with loop diuretics decreased the occurrence of these cylinders, leading to an improvement of kidney function I month after the primary damage, this despite the fact that the primary damage seen in the early recirculation period was not treated specifically.