PROLONGED ALTERATION IN GUT PERMEABILITY FOLLOWING NONTHERMAL INJURY

To assess the extent of intestinal permeability following nonthermal i njury ratios of lactulose and mannitol (L-M) concentrations in urine f ollowing enteral administration were determined simultaneously by a ga s-liquid chromatography assay on days 3, 5, 7, 10, and 13 in 15 patien ts with an Injury Severity Score >20. Thirteen of 15 patients recovere d uneventfully and two developed minor infections. L-M ratios were sig nificantly increased on days 3-10 (P < 0.05 vs controls). The data are consistent with previous studies describing early changes in gut perm eability following nonthermal injury and show that altered permeabilit y can persist for up to 10 days in patients with uneventful recoveries . Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.