Correction of metabolic alkalosis by the kidney after isometric expansion of extracellular fluid

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Abstract

Metabolic alkalosis was induced in dogs by administering ethacrynic acid and sustained by feeding a chloride-deficient diet. At the height of the alkalosis extracellular fluid was expanded “isometrically,” i.e., with an infusion that duplicated plasma sodium, chloride, and bicarbonate concentrations. Correction of metabolic alkalosis promptly followed such expansion and was attributed to the selective retention by the kidneys of chloride from the administered solution. Since plasma chloride concentration was not increased as an immediate consequence of the infusion, it is concluded that the change in renal tubular function that led to the selective retention of chloride must have been mediated by factors independent of filtrate chloride concentration.

Authors

Jordan J. Cohen