Cecal ligation and puncture as a model of sepsis in the rat: Influence of the puncture size on mortality, bacteremia, endotoxemia and tumor necrosis factor alpha levels

Background: Cecal ligation and puncture is a widely used experimental model of sepsis. Aim of the Study: The present study was aimed to evaluate the i nfluence of the size of the cecal puncture on mortality, bacteremia, endoto xemia and plasma TNF-a levels. Materials and Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent cecal ligation and puncture, divided into the following gro ups, defined by the diameter of the cecal puncture: 0.5-cm blade incision ( n = 25),13-gauge (n = 25), 16-gauge (n = 25), 18-gauge puncture (n = 25) an d 4 punctures with a 22-gauge needle (n = 25). A sham operation was perform ed in another 25 rats. Three animals of each group were sacrificed 5 h afte r the procedure for blood cultures as well as determination of plasma endot oxin and TN F-a. The remaining animals were followed up for a week after ce cal ligation and puncture for evaluation of mortality. Results: Five hours after cecal ligation and puncture, bacteremia was present in all animals, i ndependently of the puncture size. Endotoxemia and plasma TNF levels tended to increase along with the diameter of the cecal puncture. Mortality gradu ally increased with the puncture size, from 27% with a 22-gauge needle to 9 5% with the blade incision. Conclusions: The severity of sepsis obtained wi th cecal ligation and puncture in rats can be easily modulated varying the size of the puncture. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.