THE PLASMA NON-PROTEIN NITROGEN DISTRIBUTION AND ITS CORRELATION WITH THE EFFICACY OF FLUID REPLACEMENT THERAPY FOLLOWING THERMAL INJURY 1

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Abstract
The effect of various types of intravenous fluid replacement therapy (0.85% NaCl soln., 5% normal human albumin soln., 4% gelatin soln. and normal rat plasma) on the partition of the N.P.N. of plasma and on urinary water and N excretion was studied in rats subjected to standard scales of known lethality. N.P.N., urea N, and NH2N of tungstic acid filtrates of the plasma were detd., the difference N.P.N.[long dash](urea N + NH2N) being designated as undetd. N. The degree of permanent reduction of the increased NH2N and especially of the undetd. N of plasma provided a useful criterion of efficacy of treatment, whereas reduction of the urea N is too slow and too irregular to be of value for this purpose. Rates of urinary H2O and N excretion do not furnish a reliable index of curative efficacy. Complete failure of promoting the flow of urine proves, however, inefficiency of the treatment. The effectiveness of fluid replacement therapy in permanently reducing the elevated undetd. N levels is not clearly related to the relief of hemoconcn. A renewed rise of the undetd. plasma N, in spite of nearly normal hematocrit values, may be an indica- tion of a returning tissue anoxia due to a diminution of actively circulating rather than of total blood vol.