Renal
ANAESTHESIA AND INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE 10:6 296 Crown Copyright © 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Laboratory tests of renal
function
Andy McWilliam
Ross Macnab
Abstract
The human kidney provides essential regulatory and...
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Renal
ANAESTHESIA AND INTENSIVE CARE MEDICINE 10:6 296 Crown Copyright © 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
All rights reserved.
Laboratory tests of renal
function
Andy McWilliam
Ross Macnab
Abstract
The human kidney provides essential regulatory and excretory functions.
Body water content, plasma electrolyte composition and plasma pH are all
under the regulatory control of the kidney.
In addition, the kidney provides
a path of excretion for blood-borne, water-soluble, low-molecular-weight
compounds.
These include the end-products of protein metabolism, such
as urea and creatinine, as well as foreign compounds with similar physico
chemical characteristics and their metabolites.
Endocrine activity of the
human kidney includes the secretion of the hormones erythropoietin and
renin and the activation of vitamin D by hydroxylation to its 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol form.
The renal blood flow is immense, constituting 25%
of resting cardiac output.
The glomeruli form 170–200 litres o
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