AIMTo investigate viability assessment of segmental small bowel ischemia/reperfusion in a porcine model.METHODSIn 15 pigs, five or six 30-cm segments of jejunum were simultaneously made ischemic by clamping the mesenteric arteries and veins for 1 to 16 h. Reperfusion was initiated after different intervals of ischemia (1-8 h) and subsequently monitored for 5-15 h. The intestinal segments were regularly photographed and assessed visually and by palpation. Intraluminal lactate and glycerol concentrations were measured by microdialysis, and samples were collected for light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The histological changes were described and graded.RESULTSUsing light microscopy, the jejunum was considered as viable until 6 h of ischemia, while with transmission electron microscopy the ischemic muscularis propria was considered viable until 5 h of ischemia. However, following ≥ 1 h of reperfusion, only segments that had been ischemic for ≤ 3 h appeared viable, suggesting a possible upper limit for viability in the porcine mesenteric occlusion model. Although intraluminal microdialysis allowed us to closely monitor the onset and duration of ischemia and the onset of reperfusion, we were unable to find sufficient level of association between tissue viability and metabolic markers to conclude that microdialysis is clinically relevant for viability assessment. Evaluation of color and motility appears to be poor indicators of intestinal viability.CONCLUSIONThree hours of total ischemia of the small bowel followed by reperfusion appears to be the upper limit for viability in this porcine mesenteric ischemia model.

The standard clinical method for the assessment of viability in ischemic small intestine is still visual inspection and palpation. This method is non-specific and unreliable, and requires a high level of clinical experience. Consequently, viable tissue might be removed, or irreversibly damaged tissue might be left in the body, which may both slow down patient recovery. Impedance spectroscopy has been used to measure changes in electrical parameters during ischemia in various tissues. The physical changes in the tissue at the cellular and structural levels after the onset of ischemia lead to time-variant changes in the electrical properties. We aimed to investigate the use of bioimpedance measurement to assess if the tissue is ischemic, and to assess the ischemic time duration. Measurements were performed on pigs (n = 7) using a novel two-electrode setup, with a Solartron 1260/1294 impedance gain-phase analyser. After induction of anaesthesia, an ischemic model with warm, full mesenteric arterial and venous occlusion on 30 cm of the jejunum was implemented. Electrodes were placed on the serosal surface of the ischemic jejunum, applying a constant voltage, and measuring the resulting electrical admittance. As a control, measurements were done on a fully perfused part of the jejunum in the same porcine model. The changes in tan δ (dielectric parameter), measured within a 6 h period of warm, full mesenteric occlusion ischemia in seven pigs, correlates with the onset and duration of ischemia. Tan δ measured in the ischemic part of the jejunum differed significantly from the control tissue, allowing us to determine if the tissue was ischemic or not (P < 0.0001, F = (1,75.13) 188.19). We also found that we could use tan δ to predict ischemic duration. This opens up the possibility of real-time monitoring and assessment of the presence and duration of small intestinal ischemia.

The authors have studied components of the contact system in plasma obtained from patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer. Plasma samples from 118 healthy blood donors served as controls. Plasma prekallikrein (PKK) values, evaluated by chromogenic peptide substrate technique, were significantly decreased in patients with cancer compared with healthy blood donors. High molecular weight kininogen (HMwK) and Hageman factor (FXII) values, assayed by immunochemical techniques, were also decreased in the patients with cancer. The changes of contact factors were most pronounced in patients with liver metastasis. The most striking observation in our study, however, was the elevated inhibitor values in patients with cancer. Alpha-2-macroglobulin (a2M) and C1 inhibitor (C1INH) values, determined both by functional and immunochemical techniques, were markedly increased in patients with cancer. In conclusion, this study shows that patients with intestinal cancer have reduced values of contact factors and markedly elevated inhibitor values which indicate that development of malignant tumors in the gastrointestinal tract is associated with changes in the contact system of plasma. Cancer 65:1355-1359,1990.