• Whether acute renal failure following overwhelming bacterial septicemia is initially a
consequence primarily of a cytotoxic insult or a perfusion insufficiency remains unclear. To
assess the effects of intra-abdominal sepsis on the distribution of renal blood flow and renal
cell bioenergy status, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), effective renal plasma flow (ERPF),
and energy-charge ratios were measured in rats following cecal ligation/puncture (CLP) or
sham laparotomies. The CLP animals demonstrated a decrease in ERPF of 42% and 58 …