Abstract
Background
There are few options for treating critical ischemia in limbs with no distal patency. Diverting flow through the venous circulation is an option supported by evidence from numerous published studies.
Objectives
To compare the behavior of clinical and laboratory variables between the hind limbs of pigs subjected to ischemia and to ischemia with reperfusion by retrograde circulation and between these intervention groups and a control group.
Methods
Ten pigs were divided into 2 groups. In group 1 (n=5), controls, patterns of physiological variables such as flow according to Doppler ultrasound, temperature, blood gas analysis results, lactate, creatine kinase, and blood pressure were evaluated. In group 2 (n=5), after an initial ischemia period with mean duration of 27 minutes and 30 seconds, provoked by interrupting flow through the femoral arteries, the animals were subjected to venous arterialization of the left hind limb while the right hind limb was maintained in ischemia. Variables were analyzed separately for each hind leg at 0, 2, 3, 4, and 6 hours after reperfusion and compared against each other and the control group.
Results
Analysis of variables from both procedures showed decreases in BE and PO2 and significant increases in lactate and creatine kinase, in relation to the control group. In arterialized ischemic limbs, we observed flow on Doppler ultrasound, and arterial pressures and temperatures were higher than in the ischemic limbs.
Conclusions
Comparative analysis of the extremities in ischemia and arterialized ischemia showed, in relation to the control group, metabolic acidosis with significant increases in lactate and creatine kinase, suggesting cellular damage, and there were signs of retrograde reperfusion in arterialized extremities.
Keywords:
venous arterialization; ischemia; reperfusion
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