Multiple organ failure (MOF) after severe trauma--a sheep model

To perform a reproducible long-term (10 days) large animal model of multiple systems organ failure without necessity of a continuous stimulus.

Adult female merino sheep submitted to a 5-day stimulation period followed by a 5-day observation period. Day 1: Hemorrhagic shock was combined with a traumatic surgical insult (reamed intramedullary femoral nailing), followed by serial administrations every 12 h for 5 days of a combination of endotoxin and zymosan activated plasma. Organ function was followed for 5 further days.

Cardiac index increased significantly during the study (day 1: 491 +/- 8 mm Hg; day 10: 427 +/- 20, p < 0.05). Liver function was impaired and bilirubin levels increased significantly (day 1: 2.9 +/- 0.3 micromol/l; day 10: 7.2 +/- 0.9; p < 0.05). Creatinine clearance decreased initially (day 1: 54 +/- 7 ml/min), increased to a peak on day 2 (104 +/- 27), and then deteriorated again (day 10: 53 +/- 18).

This new large animal model of trauma-induced MOF is reproducible and may be suitable for the study of new therapeutic approaches to therapy.