The effect of verapamil in reducing the severity of acute tubular necrosis in canine renal autotransplants.

Calcium channel blockade has been shown to prevent warm renal ischemic damage. The ability of verapamil to decrease the severity of acute tubular necrosis (ATN) after 24-hr cold storage and autotransplantation was studied in a randomized paired study of 12 dogs. Experimental animals pretreated with intraarterial verapamil and flushing of the harvested kidney with cold intracellular solution containing verapamil demonstrated significantly (P less than .05) greater renal function preservation over their matched controls. A subsequent nonpaired study of 6 dogs treated only with flushing of the harvested kidney with perfusate containing verapamil demonstrated no significant preservation advantage over controls. We conclude that verapamil, administered prior to the ischemic event, can enhance the protective effect of hypothermia and decrease the severity of ATN in ischemically injured kidneys.