Microvascular and clinical effects of altered peritoneal dialysis solutions.

Blood flow in the peritoneum is one of the more important factors governing the efficiency of peritoneal dialysis. Yet there have been no previous studies which relate alterations and control of the peritoneal microcirculation to dialysis efficiency. Thus, we used closed-circuit television microscopy to quantitative the in vivo response (changes in diameter) to dialysis solutions of the small arteries on the mesothelial surface of the rat cecum and arterioles of the rat cremaster muscle. These responses were correlated wiht solute clearances from multiple peritoneal dialysis performed in humans. In the cremaster, a transient constriction was followed by a prolonged dilation. pH adjustments of the dialysis solution from 5.6 to 7.4 had no effect on the microvascular response and no effect on solute clearances during human peritoneal dialysis. In the cecum, dialysis solution caused a prolonged dilation which reached a maximum in about 10 min. Since dilation appears to be an important determinant of solute clearances during human peritoneal dialysis, the effects of a vasodilator, sodium nitroprusside, were determined. Sodium nitroprusside decreased the time to maximal dilation, which correlated clinically with an increased solute clearance during exchanges with this drug. Since nitroprusside increased clearances of the larger molecular weight solutes proportionally more than the smaller molecular weight solutes did, we hypothesize that nitroprusside increases solute clearances by both a vasodilatory effect and by an effect on vascular membrane permeability and area for solute exchange.