Effect of Peritoneal Lavage in Acute Uremia

Ganter, 1 Landsberger and Gnoinski, 2 Rosenak and Siwon 3 report favorable results of peritoneal lavage in nephrectomized rabbits and dogs. The end products of nitrogen metabolism dialyze into the fluid and can be removed with it. Bliss and his coworkers 4 report that the survival period of nephrectomized dogs treated with peritoneal lavage is from 13 to 16 days as compared with the survival period of untreated dogs, from 2 to 3 days. The experiments reported herein were undertaken to investigate the value of peritoneal lavage in cases of temporary acute renal insufficiency, manifested by attacks of uremia following poisoning by bichloride of mercury. A series of 15 rabbits was used. The animals were given equally large doses of bichloride of mercury (30 mg. per kilo of body weight) by stomach tube. By means of a small rubber catheter 200 cc. of an isotonic salt solution at body temperature were injected into the peritoneal cavity of the animals. This fluid was removed after 30 minutes by syphonage through the same catheter. This procedure was repeated several times at each sitting and the hemoglobin and nonprotein nitrogen content of the blood, as well as the body weight of the animals, were determined before and after each experiment. No hydremic changes in the blood could be observed. The weight of the animals decreased slightly during the course of the experiments.

Figure 1 shows the curves of the nonprotein nitrogen values in the blood of treated animal F. 22 and control animal F. 18. After each washing of the peritoneal cavity, the non-protein nitrogen content of the blood of rabbit F. 22 was considerably lower than before the lavage.