ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Postoperative abdominal adhesions (PAAs) are present in more than 90% of patients undergoing abdominal surgery. They are a cause of chronic pain, hospitalizations, multiple surgeries, and infertility in women of reproductive age. The participation of three processes have been recognized: coagulation, fibrinolysis, and inflammation. The usefulness of subcutaneous enoxaparin in their prevention has been established. The objective is to establish the safest and most efficient dose for PAA prevention by testing five different doses of subcutaneous enoxaparin (0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 mg/kg/day) given in one dose/day for seven days. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty Sprague-Dawley rats were studied, 10 in each group. Adhesions were induced through controlled rubbing of the cecum and suturing of an incision in the terminal ileum. Two independent observers recorded the degree of adhesion formation at 14 days and histologically studied the adhesions. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: ANOVA compared group averages. The nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to identify group differences. RESULTS: The 0.5 mg/kg/day group had greater formation of adhesions (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the 1.5 and 2 mg/kg/day groups, though the latter group had an incidence of 27.2% of bleeding in the abdominal cavity. The degree of adhesions in the histological sections coincided with the macroscopic findings. The interobserver agreement was kappa = 0.88 (very good). CONCLUSION: The safe and effective dose of subcutaneous enoxaparin to prevent PAA formation was 0.5-1.5 mg/kg/day for seven days.