The influence of hemorrhage on liver microcirculation of the cirrhotic rat

Bleeding from esophageal varices is highly lethal in cirrhotics, the main cause of death being liver failure. Because adequate hepatic perfusion is a prerequest for the maintenance of liver function, the present study was designed to evaluate the influence of hemorrhagic shock on liver microcirculation in rats with portal hypertension due to cirrhosis of the liver induced by CCl4. In 16 cirrhotic rats and an equal number of controls, hepatic microcirculation was continuously assessed--by means of laser-Doppler flowmetry, through a self-adhesive probe attached to the liver surface, before and during a 15 min period of arterial hypotension (40 mmHg) induced by blood withdrawal. Our findings revealed that immediately following hemorrhage there is a statistically significant reduction of microcirculation in cirrhotics versus controls. The results of this study assist in the better understanding of the hemodynamic conditions which prevail in the cirrhotic liver during the first minutes of hemorrhage.