title: Alcohol acute intoxication before sepsis impairs the wound healing of intestinal anastomosis: rat model of the abdominal trauma patient.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most trauma patients are drunk at the time of injury. Up to 2% of traumatized patients develop sepsis, which considerably increases their mortality. Inadequate wound healing of the colonic repair can lead to postoperative complications such as leakage and sepsis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effects of acute alcohol intoxication on colonic anastomosis wound healing in septic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty six Wistar rats were allocated into two groups: S (induction of sepsis) and AS (alcohol intake before sepsis induction). A colonic anastomosis was performed in all groups. After 1, 3 or 7 days the animals were killed. Weight variations, mortality rate, histopathology and tensile breaking strength of the colonic anastomosis were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was an overall mortality of 4 animals (11.1%), three in the group AS (16.6%) and one in the S group (5.5%). Weight loss occurred in all groups. The colon anastomosis of the AS group didn't gain strength from the first to the seventh postoperative day. On the histopathological analysis there were no differences in the deposition of collagen or fibroblasts between the groups AS and S.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol intake increased the mortality rate three times in septic animals. Acute alcohol intoxication delays the acquisition of tensile strength of colonic anastomosis in septic rats. Therefore, acute alcohol intoxication before sepsis leads to worse prognosis in animal models of the abdominal trauma patients.
authors.affiliation: Medical School, Academic League of Emergency and Trauma, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil. sousajb@unb.br.
authors.forename: Pedro Henrique Alves de
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.forename: Vinícius Lacerda
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Igor Eduardo
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Caetano de Farias
authors.forename: Luiz Eduardo
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Almeida Silva
authors.forename: Fabiana Pirani
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.forename: Joel Paulo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Russomano Veiga
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Batista de Sousa