Results of Experimental Intestinal Strangulation Obstruction in Germfree Rats

Abstract

Numerous factors influence the pathological physiology of intestinal strangulation obstruction. Those originating from the strangulation fluid, i.e. the fluid produced b y the strangulated loop of intestine, have been a focus of interest for experimental studies during the past few years. This fluid is very toxic on intraperitoneal injection in healthy animals (1-3). Antibiotics diminish the toxicity (4-6) and there are findings which indicate that the content of Escherichia coli and of red blood cells in the strangulation fluid influence the toxicity of the fluid (7). The decisive influence attributed to the intestinal bacteria on the toxicity of the strangulation fluid (8, 9) prompted the following experiments in which clinical course, survival time, and toxicity of strangulation fluid were noted on germfree rats and conventional rats with experimentally produced low ileal strangulation obstruction.

Acute Lethality after Enteral Administration of Contrast Media in Anaesthetized Rats with Intestinal Ischaemia

“…The sequence of events in untreated ischaemia of the small intestine is dehydration, contamination of the peritoneal cavity by the intestinal bacterial flora, endotoxaemia and septicaemia, and subsequently death (2,15). The groups receiving iohexol, barium or no test substance did not differ to any significant extent with regard to survival, but the group receiving sodium diatrizoate had a significantly shorter survival time than the other groups (Fig.…”

OPSONIZING AND 32P‐RELEASING ACTIVITIES OF RAT INTESTINAL STRANGULATION FLUID ON 32P‐LABELLED E. COLI

“…while lethality is retained in sterile fillrates of rabbit strangulation fluid, presumably due to bacterial cxotoxins (4, 6 ) . The importance of bacterial factors is further stressed by the fact that strangulation fluid collected from gcrmfree rats is nonlethal to assay mice (2,9 ) .…”