[Effect of a hybrid artificial pancreas in totally pancreatectomized dogs]

This study was undertaken to estimate the effect of hybrid artificial pancreas (HAP) containing xenogeneic hamster islets in totally pancreatectomized dogs. HAP were attached either to the systemic circulation or to the portal circulation for 12 to 24 hours in totally pancreatectomized dogs. Following the systemic attachment of HAP containing 10,000 islets, in four out of 6 dogs the plasma glucose levels decreased to normoglycemic levels within 5.8 +/- 1.3 hours and thereafter maintained within normal range at least 12 hours until the removal of HAP. When HAP containing 10,000 islets were attached to the portal circulation, no decrease in the plasma glucose levels was observed in all four dogs. However, HAP containing 14,000 islets were able to restore normoglycemia in four out of 5 dogs within 7.0 +/- 1.6 hours after the portal attachment. No significant difference in the plasma glucose level was observed between the dogs with HAP containing 10,000 islets attached to the systemic circulation and those with HAP containing 14,000 islets attached to the portal circulation. Those results suggested that the systemic circulation, concerning with the quantity of the islets, was the superior site of the attachment of HAP to the portal circulation for controlling hyperglycemia in apancreatic dogs.