THE EFFECTS OF HYPOVOLEMIA ON MULTIPLE ORGAN INJURY FOLLOWING INTESTINAL REPERFUSION

This study examines the relationship between hypovolemia and remote or gan injury following intestinal reperfusion. Sprague-Dawley rats under went intestinal ischemia (120 min) and reperfusion (90 min, IIR) or sh am operation (CTL). The animals received normal saline (NS) at 0, 30, or 40 ml/kg/h intravenously. Lung and intestinal injury was quantitate d using an edema index, and liver injury was assessed by measuring bil e flow rates. The infusion of 40 ml/kg/h of NS attenuated the intestin al edema index of IIR animals nearly 50% (p < .05). Despite this impro vement, this parameter remained nearly 10-fold greater than that of CT L (p < .05). The lung edema index was 70% greater in IIR animals recei ving 30 and 40 ml/kg/h of NS than those not receiving NS. The infusion of 40 ml/kg/h of NS restored bile flow rates in IIR animals to that o f CTL. These data suggest that hypovolemia may contribute to the intes tinal and hepatic injury in this model. The lung injury is independent of hypovolemia.