[Changes of systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics and plasma levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase and endothelin-1 in patients with hepatopulmonary syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the changes of systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics and the plasma levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) and investigate their association in patients with hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS).


METHODS
Twenty-six patients with HPS undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) were enrolled in this study with 20 patients without hypoxemia as the control group. Blood samples were taken one day before OLT to measure the plasma levels of iNOS and ET-1 using fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (FQ-PCR) and radioimmunoassay, respectively, with 10 healthy volunteers serving as the healthy control group. Before the operation for OLT, the parameters of systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics were monitored after anesthesia induction.


RESULTS
The systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics in patients without hypoxemia was characterized by high cardiac output and low resistance, and by comparison, the patients with HPS showed even higher cardiac output and lower mean pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary artery wedge pressure, systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance. The two patient groups had comparable plasma iNOS and ET-1 levels, which were both higher than those in the healthy control group.


CONCLUSIONS
The hemodynamics in patients with end-stage liver disease exhibit a pattern of high cardiac output and low resistance, which is more obvious in HPS patients possibly in association with elevated plasma levels of iNOS and ET-1.
Department of Anesthesiology, Third Affiliated Hospital, SUN Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China. lishangrong@yahoo.com
Shang-rong
SR
Li
Ning
N
Shen
Hui-min
HM
Yi
Xiao-liang
XL
Gan
Zi-qing
ZQ
Hei
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D020065:Hepatopulmonary Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000097:blood*; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
D019332:Endothelin-1; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II