Surgical technique for combined liver/intestine transplantation in rats.
Simultaneous liver transplantation may reduce the risk of intestinal transplant rejection. We have recently developed two new models of combined liver/intestine transplantation (LIT) in the rat to study this phenomenon. Herein, we report our experience with LIT using a single donor (SD) or multiple donors (MD). Large volumes of fluid were required to prevent a drop in the mean arterial pressure during the anhepatic phase in the SD recipients. Many of the SD recipients died of intraoperative hypovolemic shock (57%). The MD recipients had a shorter anhepatic time (12 +/- 1 minutes vs. 17 +/- 2 minutes; P less than 0.01) and a shorter warm intestinal ischemia time (15 +/- 1 minutes vs. 32 +/- 2 minutes; P less than 0.01). Operative mortality rates were much lower in the MD recipients (10% vs. 68%; P less than 0.01). The long-term survival rate using MD was 71% at 1 month. Graft function was normal in the long-term survivors. LIT with MD provides a good model to study the immunological effects of multivisceral grafting.
Zhong
R
R
Department of Surgery, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
He
G
G
Sakai
Y
Y
McAlister
V
V
Zhang
Z
Z
Duff
J
J
Stiller
C
C
Grant
D
D
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000601:surgery; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000601:surgery; D006500:Hepatic Duct, Common / Q000601:surgery; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000601:surgery / Q000637:transplantation*; D008099:Liver / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000601:surgery; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012769:Shock / Q000209:etiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014021:Tissue Preservation; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000601:surgery