EFFECTS OF INTRAPERITONEAL INSUFFLATION O N HEMATOGENOUS DISSEMINATION OF ABDOMINAL INFECTIONS - PRELIMINARY-RESULTS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN RATS

Most laparoscopic procedures require the creation of a pneumoperitoneu m. In order to evaluate the potential hazards of bacteriemia related t o insufflation, we conducted a study in the rat. Two groups of 20 Wist ar rats were used for this study. Peritonitis was induced by opening t he terminal ileum. Twenty-four hours later,20 rats were insufflated at a mean pressure of 6 mm Hg (Group I). After one hour of insufflation, an hemoculture was performed via direct intracardiac puncture and in the other group of 20 non-insufflated rats (Group NI). Five of the 18 hemoculture were positive in the Gr. I (27.7%) and 6 out of 20 in the Gr. NI (30%) (chi(2) = 0.238 p = 0.62 non significant difference). The se results suggest that insufflation does not facilate hematogenous di ssemination of bacteria from intraperitoneal sepsis in this animal mod el.