ExtractCardiac output, renal blood flow, and intrinsic renal vascular resistance were measured in piglets ranging in age from 6 h to 45 days. During this period of time the mean cardiac output increased from 0.9 to 6.5 liters/min/m . These data demonstrate that the large increase in renal blood flow in the pig during the first 6 weeks of life was due to both an increase in cardiac output as well as a decrease in renal vascular resistance. By 6 weeks of age, cardiac output was at adult levels. Since in the adult pig the kidney receives 20 % of the cardiac output, increases in renal blood flow beyond 6 weeks of age must result from further decreases in renal vascular resistance.
SpeculationIn the human infant, cardiac index is comparable to values observed in the adult. It appears, therefore, that the entire increase in renal blood flow observed during year 1 of life is due to steadily decreasing renal vascular resistance. Since glomerular filtration rate is modified by the relative resistances in the glomerular afferent and efferent arterioles, the parallel increases in filtration rate during infancy may be related to the same mechanism.Introduction mates renal plasma flow by not more than 30-40%. Rates of flow reach mature levels (1,200 ml/min/1.73 Numerous studies have shown that renal blood flow m