REDISTRIBUTION OF GRANULOCYTES IN PATIENTS AFTER MAJOR SURGICAL STRESS

Major surgery induces a stress response characterized by granulocytosi s in peripheral blood, and increased secretion of adrenaline and corti sol. The purpose of this study was to investigate the redistribution o f granulocytes in response to major surgical stress. Granulocytes were isolated from eight surgical patients and eight healthy volunteers, l abelled with Indium-111-tropolone, and reinjected. The distribution of granulocytes was imaged with a gamma camera and calculated by an inte rfaced computer before surgery and at 2, 4 and 6 h after the end of su rgery. The volunteers served as a control group. In the hours after su rgery the radioactivity of the area around the surgical field increase d to 410.7% of initial values, while the radioactivity of the spleen d ecreased to 77.5%. In conclusion, the spleen constitutes a readily mob ilizable source of granulocytes. This in vivo model demonstrates prono unced postoperative efflux of granulocytes to the area around the surg ical field within hours.