Effect of hypotension on the results of kidney storage and the use of dopamine under these conditions.

The influence of the length and severity of hypotension on the results of kidney preservation was examined in dogs. Successful 24-hr hypothermic kidney storage was possible, if the donor animal was subjected to hypovolemic hypotension (mean blood pressure 60 mm Hg) for a duration 1 to 4 hr. If the blood pressure was lowered to 50 mm Hg, successful kidney preservation could not be obtained. It was concluded that the level of hypotension was of more importance than its duration. After 24 hr of cold ischemia, the function of kidneys from hypotensive donors could be improved significantly if dopamine was given to the recipient. The preservation injury itself could not be counteracted by dopamine because dopamine did not improve the function of kidneys which were removed from normotensive donors but were stored for 24 hr under hypothermia.