Small animal models of hemorrhagic shock-induced liver dysfunction

Blood loss and ensuing circulatory failure continues to be the leading cause of death between the ages of 1 and 45 in most western countries. Hepatocellular dysfunction is a key feature of the pathophysiological sequelae of trauma/hemorrhage in patients surviving the first hours and hemorrhagic hypotension has been widely used as a model for indirect liver injury in the critically ill. This unit describes a low-flow ischemia model of the liver due to hemorrhagic hypotension that can be used to produce a reproducible and graded injury to the pericentral region of the acinus, which is critical for metabolism of xenobiotics. This protocol allows for measurement of cardiac output and regional flow.