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Effects of experimental lower-limb ischaemia-reperfusion injury on the mesenteric microcirculation
X H T Wehrens1, E V Rouwet, M G A oude Egbrink
1Department of Surgery, University Hospital Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Background:
Ischaemia-reperfusion (I-R) of the leg is associated with functional and structural changes in the intestine. This study assessed whether acute hind-limb I-R in rats induced a reduction in perfusion and/or signs of an inflammatory response in the intestine.
Methods:
Rats were subjected to 2 h of unilateral hind-limb ischaemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion (I-R group, n = 9) or to a sham procedure (control group, n = 9). Mesenteric microvascular diameters, red blood cell velocity, blood flow and leucocyte-vessel wall interactions during reperfusion were measured using intravital microscopy.
Results:
Blood pressure and heart rate decreased from 30 min of reperfusion onwards in the I-R group compared with controls. From 15 min after the start of reperfusion, mesenteric arteriolar and venular red blood cell velocity and blood flow decreased by 40-50 per cent. Microvascular diameters and leucocyte-vessel wall interactions did not change.
Conclusion:
Restoration of blood flow to an acutely ischaemic hind limb led to a significant decline in the splanchnic microcirculatory blood flow. There were, however, no signs of an early inflammatory response in the gut.