New model of veno-venous bypass for management of anhepatic phase in experimental study on dogs

Blood is shunted from the inferior vena cava and portal vein to the superior vena caval system to prevent congestion in the lower parts of the body during the anhepatic phase (AP) of liver transplantation. It leads to overload in the superior vena caval system retarding cranial outflow due to a nonphysiological blood redistribution. To overcome this problem, we developed a new bypass in dogs: blood is shunted from the inferior (caudal) vena cava and portal vein to the suprahepatic inferior (caudal) vena cava. This model was compared with traditional one with or without a pump. Blood pressure and flow parameters were estimated during 3 hours of AP in four groups of four dogs each. The current study showed that a nontraditional scheme of venous bypass reduced circulatory complications during AP, especially in the cranial vena caval system, although a low rate of congestion remains in the caudal vena cava and portal vein systems. Whereas the same scheme using a pump effectively prevented congestion in all of the systems: cranial, caudal, and portal. We concluded that application of a nontraditional bypass scheme, providing venous blood return into suprahepatic part of caudal vena cava, can be considered to be a method of choice for experimental liver transplantation.