AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 261, Issue 6 1507-R1512, Copyright © 1991 by American Physiological Society
Increase in hepatic blood flow during early sepsis is due to increased portal blood flow
P. Wang, Z. F. Ba and I. H. Chaudry
Department of Surgery, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824.
Although hepatic blood flow increases significantly during early sepsis [as
produced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)], it is not known whether
this is due to the increase in portal or hepatic arterial blood flows. To
study this, rats were subjected to CLP, after which they and sham-operated
rats received either 3 or 6 ml normal saline/100 g body wt subcutaneously
(i.e., all rats received crystalloid therapy). Blood flow in various organs
was determined by using a radioactive microsphere technique at 5 and 20 h
after CLP or sham operation. Portal blood flow was calculated as the sum of
blood flows to the spleen, pancreas, gastrointestinal tract, and mesentery.
Total hepatic blood flow was the sum of portal blood flow and hepatic
arterial blood flow. A significant increase in portal blood flow and in
total hepatic blood flow was observed at 5 h after CLP (i.e., early
sepsis), and this was not altered by doubling the volume of crystalloid
resuscitation after the induction of sepsis. In contrast, hepatic arterial
blood flow during early sepsis was found to be similar to control; however,
it was significantly reduced in late sepsis (i.e., 20 h after CLP). Cardiac
output was significantly higher than the control in early sepsis. However,
even in late sepsis, cardiac output and total hepatic blood flow were not
significantly different from controls. These results indicate that the
increased total hepatic blood flow during early hyperdynamic sepsis is
solely due to the increased portal blood flow.
