PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of increased intraperitoneal pressure caused by carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum on the hepatic and renal morphology of rats. METHODS: Fifty-four adult male rats were randomly divided into three groups (P, PP and C) after anesthesia: P - in 18 animals, pneumoperitoneum was established for 30 minutes immediately before laparotomy; PP - in 18 animals, pneumoperitoneum was established for 60 minutes divided into 30 immediately before laparotomy and 30 after abdominal closure; control group (C) - 18 animals underwent laparotomy without pneumoperitoneum induction. The pneumoperitoneum was maintained at a pressure of 5 mm Hg. Nine animals in each group were killed on the 3rd and 7th postoperative days, when kidney and liver samples were collected for morphological analysis. The liver specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), and the kidney specimens, with HE and von Kossa. Blinded examiners analyzed the slides. RESULTS: No changes in renal morphology were found. Liver samples showed histological signs of degeneration in animals in the pneumoperitoneum groups killed on the 7th postoperative day (p=0.029). CONCLUSION: The CO2 pneumoperitoneum did not affect renal morphology but caused hydropic degeneration in the liver of animals killed on the 7th postoperative day.

IntroductionMost trauma patients are drunk at the time of injury. Up to 2% of traumatized patients develop sepsis, which considerably increases their mortality. Inadequate wound healing of the colonic repair can lead to postoperative complications such as leakage and sepsis.ObjectiveTo assess the effects of acute alcohol intoxication on colonic anastomosis wound healing in septic rats.MethodsThirty six Wistar rats were allocated into two groups: S (induction of sepsis) and AS (alcohol intake before sepsis induction). A colonic anastomosis was performed in all groups. After 1, 3 or 7 days the animals were killed. Weight variations, mortality rate, histopathology and tensile breaking strength of the colonic anastomosis were evaluated.ResultsThere was an overall mortality of 4 animals (11.1%), three in the group AS (16.6%) and one in the S group (5.5%). Weight loss occurred in all groups. The colon anastomosis of the AS group didn’t gain strength from the first to the seventh postoperative day. On the histopathological analysis there were no differences in the deposition of collagen or fibroblasts between the groups AS and S.ConclusionAlcohol intake increased the mortality rate three times in septic animals. Acute alcohol intoxication delays the acquisition of tensile strength of colonic anastomosis in septic rats. Therefore, acute alcohol intoxication before sepsis leads to worse prognosis in animal models of the abdominal trauma patients.

Carbon dioxide does not impair the healing of colonic anastomosis in rats.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum on abdominal wall wound healing in rats. METHODS: Eighty rats underwent laparotomy, segmental left colon resection, and anastomosis. The animals were divided into three experimental groups and one control group: EI = pneumoperitoneum for 30 minutes before laparotomy (n=20); EII = pneumoperitoneum for 30 minutes after abdominal closure (n=20); EIII = pneumoperitoneum for 30 minutes before laparotomy and 30 minutes after abdominal closure (n=20); C = control group, without pneumoperitoneum (n=20). In each group, 10 animals were killed 7 days and 10 animals 14 days postoperatively. A segment of the abdominal wall was resected and subjected to tensile strength testing. Another segment of abdominal muscle was used for histopathological analysis; the specimens were fixed in formalin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. RESULTS: There were no differences in histopathology and tensile strength values among animals in the experimental and control groups 7 or 14 days after surgery. CONCLUSION: Under the present experimental conditions, carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum did not interfere with abdominal wall wound healing.

Purpose To determine by histomorphometric analysis whether CO 2 pneumoperitoneum interferes with collagen deposition in surgical wounds in the aponeurosis of rats. Methods This experiment involved 80 male Wistar rats, randomly allocated into four groups according to pneumoperitoneum period (PRE: 30 min preoperatively; POST: 30 min postoperatively; PP: 30 min pre- and postoperatively; C: control group). CO 2 pneumoperitoneum was insufflated to 5 mmHg of pressure. A laparotomy was performed; 1 cm of the left colon was then resected, and an end-to-end anastomosis was performed to simulate surgical trauma, after which the abdominal wall was closed. On postoperative days 7 or 14, a sample of the abdominal wall was collected, stained with picrosirius red and observed under polarized light in an optical microscope. The amount of collagen was estimated by computerized histomorphometric analysis. Results There were no significant differences in collagen deposition between the control and experimental groups on postoperative days 7 (p=0.720) or 14 (p=0.933). The amount of collagen increased as expected in all groups between postoperative days 7 and 14 (p=0.0003). Conclusion At 5 mmHg, CO 2 pneumoperitoneum does not interfere with collagen deposition in abdominal wall surgical wounds in rats.