NEUTROPHIL-MEDIATED MICROVASCULAR INJURY IN ACUTE, EXPERIMENTAL COMPARTMENT SYNDROME

The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of neutrop hils and tissue xanthine oxidase to the skeletal muscle microvascular dysfunction in an ex vivo model of acute compartment syndrome. Adult d ogs were rendered neutropenic or depleted of tissue xanthine oxidase b efore gracilis muscle isolation, Compared with continuously perfused, nonischemic muscles, acute, experimental compartment syndrome resulted in a dramatic increase in microvascular permeability, muscle neutroph il content, and muscle vascular resistance, Neutropenia prevented, whe reas xanthine oxidase depletion had no effect on, the microvascular dy sfunction and muscle neutrophil infiltration elicited by experimental compartment syndrome, These results suggest that neutrophils contribut e to the microvascular dysfunction and blood flow distribution abnorma lities elicited by acute, experimental compartment syndrome.