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.