title: Influence of brain death and associated trauma on solid organ histological characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate histopathological alterations triggered by brain death and associated trauma on different solid organs in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats (n=37) were anesthetized with isoflurane, intubated and mechanically ventilated. A trepanation was performed and a balloon catheter inserted into intracraninal cavity and rapidly inflated with saline to induce brain death. After induction, rats were monitored for 30, 180, and 360 min for hemodynamic parameters and exsanguinated from abdominal aorta. Heart, lung, liver, and kidney were removed and fixed in paraffin to evaluation of histological alterations (H&E). Sham-operated rats were trepanned only and used as control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Brain dead rats showed a hemodynamic instability with hypertensive episode in the first minute after the induction followed by hypotension for approximately 1 h. Histological analyses showed that brain death induces vascular congestion in heart (p<0.05), and lung (p<0.05); lung alveolar edema (p=0.001), kidney tubular edema (p<0.05); and leukocyte infiltration in liver (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Brain death induces hemodynamic instability associated with vascular changes in solid organs and compromises most severely the lungs. However, brain death associated trauma triggers important pathophysiological alterations in these organs.
authors: Postgraduate Program on Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Medicine School, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. biosimas@usp.br
authors: Rafael
authors: R
authors: Simas
authors: Diogo Haruo
authors: DH
authors: Kogiso
authors: Cristiano de Jesus
authors: Cde J
authors: Correia
authors: Luiz Fernando Ferraz da
authors: LF
authors: Silva
authors: Isaac Azevedo
authors: IA
authors: Silva
authors: José Walber Miranda Costa
authors: JW
authors: Cruz
authors: Paulina
authors: P
authors: Sannomiya
authors: Luiz Felipe Pinho
authors: LF
authors: Moreira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001926:Brain Death / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors