PURDUE    _,    ,
vererinofy medical
wpmn
VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2
SUMMER - FALL 1978
A FUTURE FOR
HEMODIALYSIS?
Outside of trauma by an automobile, kidney disease is
the leading cause of death in the canine.
Kidney disease in the dog can be divided into chronic
renal failure and acute renal failure. Chronic renal
failure (CRF) is the sequel of a slowly progressive
pathological process in which functional kidney tissue is
destroyed. A unique phenomenon, however, occurs in
the chronically diseased kidney. Functional nephrons
which have been spared the disease process increase their
own metabolic work-load so that a few nephrons carry
the metabolic function that was once shared by a full
compliment of nephrons. The chronically diseased
kidney, therefore, continues to function in a regulatory
fashion until greater than 75% of itself is destroyed.
At this critical point termed "renal insufficiency" the
nephrons spared the disease process can no longer adapt.
When these remaining functional units are destroyed
the patient sequentially develops azotemia and clinical
uremia.
Acute renal failure (ARF), on the other hand, is the
sequel of a rapidly developing disease process in which
there is an abrupt cessation of excretory function in all
or a majority of the nephrons. The patient quickly
develops azotemia and clinical uremia. There is no
adaptive period allowing for increased metabolic and
regulatory function of nephrons spared the insult.
Drs. Ash, Crabtree and Thornhill (I to r) adapting the Hollow
Fiber Kidney for use in the dog.
Regardless, if the patient has CRF with greater than
75% functional tissue loss or ARF with abrupt functional tissue loss, there is kidney failure. In other words, the
regulating excretory function of the kidney fails to keep
pace with the cellular production of metabolic waste.
Urea, creatinine, guanadinosuccinic acid, phosphate,
hydrogen ion, and many other metabolites accumulate.
The biochemical consequences of kidney failure then
develop due to an unsteady state reached with the
surplus of these metabolic substances.
Chronic renal failure can be treated conservatively with
proper diet, medication and maintenance of good fluid
balance. Acute renal failure, unfortunately, must be
treated vigorously. These patients, almost always
present oliguria and if medical approach does not
stimulate an increase in urine production the patient will
die without dialysis.
It is to the dialysis end that the Purdue Veterinary
Medical School has addressed its energy. Under the
guidance of Stephen R. Ash, M.D. (Nephrologist), the
Small Animal Clinic has undertaken the task of hemodialysis in dogs. Jerry A. Thornhill, D.V.M. (Assistant
Professor of Medicine) and Barbara Jill Crabtree, D.V.M.
(Post Doctoral Assistant in Nephrology) have currently
been utilizing existing human hemodialysis equipment in
an attempt to support an anephric dog. The results
have been very rewarding and the team has proven that
current acceptable hemodialysis techniques in man can
be adapted for use in the dog.
The main thrust of Dr. Ash's program is the development of a small artificial kidney "treatment cell" which
See page 2, Hemodialysis
Pettay is up to his old tricks again! (Stop that Dan!!) Members of the Class of 1968 attending the 66th Annual
Conference for Veterinarians and Alumni Reunion on September 14-15 are (I to r) front row: J. Clark, G. Krazinski,
B. Hendrickson, C. Sink. D. Younts. D. McCrosky: second row: L. Koester, J. Scott. R. Richards. R. Goebel. D
Pettay; third row: J. Chastain, D. Hendrickson, R. King, R. Plue, R. Fergeson; fourth row: V. Harp, L. Otte, T.
Hoagland, W. Blevins, D. Griffith, C. Wimmer, F. Harder. (Actually it was McCrosky, not Pettay). See page 3,
A lumni News.
A FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE IS GONE
To/lowing is the Memorial Resolution prepared for the
Purdue University Senate as that body pauses to recognize and pay respect to deceased members of the University Faculty. It is reproduced here as a tribute to a
friend and colleague who brought Joy and a smile to all
who knew him, and competence and dedication to the
profession and University he loved and faithfully served.
MEMORIAL RESOLUTION
for
Dr. Andre M. Lavignette
1924-1978
Dr. Andre Lavignette died on September
the age of 53.
2, 1978, at
Dr. Lavignette was born in Paris, France, on November 30,
1924.   He immigrated to America with his parents when
he was a small child and
grew up in the state of
New York. Dr. Lavignette served as a fighter
pilot    in    the    Second
TMf      ^y      I World    War   and    later
~lMI mL I attended        Champlain
It I College where he received an A.B. degree
in Biology. From there
he went on to the New
York State Veterinary
College at Cornell University receiving the
Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine degree in
1958. He joined the
Purdue faculty as Assistant Professor in 1960 and
achieved the rank of Professor in 1968. His interests
were primarily in the area of veterinary opthalmology
where he published widely and was very innovative in
oplhalmic surgery. Some of the operations which he
devised for the dog provided treatment for conditions
that previously resulted in blindness. Dr. Lavignette
was recognized for his efforts as a Charter Diplomate
of the American College of Veterinary Opthalmology.
Dr. Lavignette was an outstanding teacher and clinician.
His students elected him Clinician of the Year in 1971,
and he was also the School of Veterinary Medicine's
nominee for the Amoco Award for teaching excellence.
He was able to impart a bit of himself to each of his
students and by so doing, filled them with some of his
vital enthusiasm. Many Purdue veterinary medical
school graduates have been heard to comment that for
them, he stands alone as the outstanding example of
devotion to a teacher's craft. Dr. Lavignette's untimely
death is a great loss to this University and to future
students in veterinary medicine at Purdue.
Dr. Lavignette is survived by his wife, Sally; their four
children, Paul, Pierre, Andrea, and Amee; and one
grandson.
W.
E. Weirich, C. D. Knecht, W. E. Blevins,
J. C. Blakemore