Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on esophagojejunal anastomosis healing in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) after esophagojejunal anastomosis in a rat experimental model and the effect of HBO on the healing of esophagojejunal anastomosis in gastrectomized rats.


METHODS
Forty adult male Wistar rats, weighing 322 g to 506 g, were divided into two random groups. In group A (control group), 20 rats were subjected to total gastrectomy. In group B, 20 rats were similarly gastrectomized, but also received postoperative HBO treatment for 90 minutes/day for seven days. All rats were sacrificed on the eighth postoperative day and evaluated according to the following study variables: a) presence of anastomotic fistula; b) evaluation of esophagojejunal anastomosis healing by measuring the breaking strength at the suture line as per Hendriks & Mastboom; and c) determining the collagen concentration in the anastomosis, as per Kovács criteria. For the comparative statistical analysis between groups, Student's "t" test was used. A value of p<0.05 was considered significant.


RESULTS
There was a 20% mortality rate. There were five deaths in group A and three in group B (p=N.S.). There was only one anastomotic fistula in each group, and neither caused any morbidity or death. Breaking strength measured at the suture line (p=0.528) and collagen concentration determined at the esophagojejunal anastomosis (p=0.89) were not significantly different between Groups A and B.


CONCLUSIONS
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy did not affect the healing process of esophagojejunal anastomosis.
Lionço
João Domingos
JD
Department of Surgery, Medical School, UCS, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. jdlionco@yahoo.com.br
Lionço
Lívia Caprara
LC
Filippi
Lucas Torely
LT
Lionço
Clarissa Caprara
CC
Volkweiss
Bernardo
B
Gurski
Richard Ricachenevsky
RR
D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004944:Esophagoplasty / Q000379:methods; D004947:Esophagus / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation; D007583:Jejunum / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
D003094:Collagen