Traslocación bacteriana en un modelo de autotrasplante de intestino delgado en perros / Bacterial translocation in a small intestine auto transplantation model in dogs

ABSTRACT

Sepsis is the commonest complication of small bowel transplantation. These infections are presumibly caused by bacterial translocation, due to splachnic ischemia. To study bacterial translocation in the inmediate postoperative period after small bowel transplantation in dogs and to relate it to splanchnic ischemia. Three groups of dogs were studied. In group A (n=6) spontaneous episodes of splanchnic schemia were monitored in the first 18 hrs of the postoperative period. In group B (n=5) a 60 min ischemia was induced by superior mesenteric artery occlusion, 2 hours after small bowel transplantation. In group C (n=5) a 60 min ischemia was induced by occlusion of mesenteric vein, 2 hrs after transplantation. Bacterial translocation was assessed through bacterial cultures from the mesenteric vein and splanchnic ischemia with intramucosal pH measurement (a pH<7.2 was considered indicative of ischemia). 28 of 83 cultures were positive, specially for Gram negative bacilli. The incidence of positive cultures was 14 percent for group A, 17 percent for group B and 79 percent for group C (p<0.01 cpmpared to groups A and b). The higher incidence of bacterial translocation occurred during the first 2 hours after transplantation, when the lower intramucosal pH recording were obtained. The percentage of positive cultures was 39 percent during periods of ischemia, compared to 24 percent during periods without ischemia (p=NS). Bacterial translocation occurs during the first 2 hours after intestinal transplantation in concomitance with the lower intramucosal pH readings