title: Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on esophagojejunal anastomosis healing in rats.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Medical School, UCS, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. jdlionco@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: João Domingos
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lionço
authors.forename: Lívia Caprara
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Lionço
authors.forename: Lucas Torely
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Filippi
authors.forename: Clarissa Caprara
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lionço
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Volkweiss
authors.forename: Richard Ricachenevsky
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Gurski
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen