Gut feeding and hepatic hemodynamics during PEEP ventilation for acute lung injury

Mechanical ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) limits hepatic blood flow (HBF) and oxygen delivery (HO2D). Early gut feeding may augment hepatic hemodynamics and avoid relative ischemia in this flow-limited environment. To examine these effects, canines were instrumented with arterial, pulmonary artery, portal, and hepatic vein catheters. Splenectomy and gastrostomy were performed and the hepatic artery and portal vein were encircled with flow probes. All animals underwent lung injury with oleic acid (0.08 ml/kg) followed by the addition of 10 cm H2O PEEP to correct shunt. One group (fed) was then given a bolus elemental feeding (1 kcal/ml, 10 ml/kg) and the Control group, sterile water. Cardiac index (CI), HBF, hepatic oxygen delivery (HO2D), and hepatic oxygen consumption (HO2C) were measured at baseline (T0), after PEEP (T1), and 1 (T2) and 2 hr (T3) after feeding. Data were tested for significant changes between time points in the same group by ANOVA and significant differences were subjected to t testing. PEEP significantly decreased CI, HBF, and HO2D compared to baseline. Subsequently, gut feeding increased HBF to baseline levels and improved HO2D. HO2C also increased but hepatic O2 extraction was unchanged. There was little change noted in the control group over this same period. We conclude that gut feeding augments HBF and HO2D in this flow-limited state and may preserve splanchnic integrity in critical illness.