title: Perfusion pressure manipulation in porcine sepsis: effects on intestinal hemodynamics.
abstract: Limited information is available about selection of the threshold for arterial blood pressure in critically ill patients, particularly in sepsis when normal organ blood flow autoregulation may be altered. The present experimental study investigated whether increasing perfusion pressure using norepinephrine in normotensive hyperdynamic porcine bacteremia affects intestinal macro- and microcirculation. Nine pigs received continuous i.v. administration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PSAE) to develop hyperdynamic, normotensive (mean arterial pressure [MAP] 65 mm Hg) sepsis. Norepinephrine was used to achieve 10-15 % increase in MAP. Mesenteric arterial blood flow (Q(gut)), ileal mucosal microvascular perfusion (LDF(gut)) and ileal-end-tidal PCO(2) gap (PCO(2) gap) were measured before norepinephrine, after 60 min of norepinephrine infusion and 60 min after norepinephrine infusion had been discontinued. During a 12 h period of PSAE infusion all pigs developed hyperdynamic circulation with significantly decreased MAP. Although the mesenteric blood flow remained unchanged, infusion of PSAE resulted in a gradual fall of ileal microvascular perfusion, which was associated with progressively rising PCO(2) gap. Norepinephrine which induced a 10-15 % increase in perfusion pressure (i.e. titrated to attain near baseline values of MAP) affected neither Q(gut) nor the intestinal blood flow distribution (Q(gut)/CO). Similarly, norepinephrine did not change either LDF(gut) or PCO(2) gap. In this hyperdynamic, normotensive porcine bacteremia, norepinephrine-induced increase in perfusion pressure exhibited neither beneficial nor deleterious effects on intestinal macrocirculatory blood flow and ileal mucosal microcirculation. The lack of changes suggests that the gut perfusion was within its autoregulatory range.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, First Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine and Teaching Hospital, Charles University, Plzen, Czech Republic. krouzecky@fnplzen.cz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krouzecky
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matejovic
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Radej
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rokyta
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Novak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008638:Mesenteric Arteries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000150:complications; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000254:growth & development; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D009638:Norepinephrine