A ÖZDEMİR AKTAN1, CUMHUR YEĞEN1, YUNUS YAVUZ1, ZEYNEP ETİ2, BAHADIR M GÜLLÜOĞLU1, RIFAT YALIN1

1Marmara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Hastanesi, Genel Cerrahi Anabilim Dalı, İSTANBUL
2Marmara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Hastanesi, Anesteziyoloji ve Reanimasyon Anabilim Dalı, İSTANBUL

Abstract

Ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury is one of the important mechanisms affecting the outcome of liver transplantation. This study was designed to investigate the changes in endothelin levels during liver transplantation in pigs.

Five pigs served as donors and another five as recipients for liver transplantation. Blood samples were obtained from the pulmonary artery, portal vein, and infrahepatic vena cava before damping, before declamping, 15 and 30 minutes after reperfusion for serum endothelin levels. Heart rate, mean arterial pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and blood gases were also monitored.

Mean endothelin levels obtained from the pulmonary artery were 1.00 pg/ml and 1.02 pg/ml before damping and before reperfusion respectively and decreased to 0.44 pg/ml and 0.42 pg/ml 15 and 30 minutes after reperfusion. The endothelin levels obtained from the portal vein were 0.34, 0.44, 1.06 and 1.52 pg/ml and those obtained from the infrahepatic vena cava were 0.58, 1.14, 1.94 and 2.54 pg/ml respectively.

It is concluded that endothelin response is more pronounced in the reperfusion period of IR injury and liver is an important site for the metabolism of endothelin.

Keywords: ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION INJURY, LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, ENDOTHELIN, PIG