Endotoxin-induced lung hemorrhages in obstructive jaundiced rats

Endotoxemia in patients with biliary obstruction contributes to the high morbidity and mortality rates following surgery. We developed an animal model of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in rats on which bile duct ligation was performed following an injection of endotoxin (200 micrograms/kg bw). Macroscopic hemorrhages and microthrombi in the lung were found in jaundiced rats 6 hours after the injection of endotoxin and yet these phenomena were not found in non-jaundiced rats following an injection of the same amount of endotoxin. Coagulation studies also revealed characteristic findings of DIC in the jaundiced rats following the injection of endotoxin. This study confirms that obstructive jaundice is one of the main predisposing factors in the course of endotoxin-induced DIC.