Alterations in biochemical functions during hyperthermic isolation-perfusion of the human liver

Hyperthermia (42-42.5 degrees) was applied to the liver of eight patients with cancer in the liver by a technique of isolation-perfusion. Hepatic functional integrity was assessed during perfusion through measurement of multiple perfusate constituents. Data from seven perfusions were available for analysis. During perfusion there was an increase in perfusate lactate, pyruvate, glucose, urea, potassium, alkaline phosphatase, SGOT, and LDH. All increases in these constituents were significant (P less than 0.05) except for potassium. Lactate accumulated throughout the perfusion from an initial level of 3.8 +/- 1.0 mM to 7.6 +/- 3.5 mM at 4 hr. Pyruvate increased over the first 3 hr of perfusion from 0.14 +/- 0.06 mM to 0.80 +/- 0.37 mM before declining to 0.54 +/- 0.24 mM at 4 hr. The L/P (lactate/pyruvate) ratio decreased during perfusion to less than 10 in the first 2 hr, but rose to within normal limits by the end of perfusion. The decreases in L/P ratios were significant (P less than 0.05). Initially there was a rapid rise in perfusate glucose concentrations from 4.5 +/- 0.8 mM to 20.7 +/- 5.4 mM at 2 hr with nonsignificant changes thereafter. Urea levels increased from 0.64 +/- 0.22 mM to 1.92 +/- 0.76 mM. Perfusate potassium increased from the initial level of 7.0 +/- 1.0 mM during perfusion to 8.3 +/- 1.7 mM at 2 hr before declining. SGOT, LDH, and alkaline phosphatase increased during perfusion from 21 +/- 15, 142 +/- 48, and 16 +/- 6 to 176 +/- 22, 472 +/- 53 and 52 +/- 42, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)