Laser Doppler Flowmetry in the medical field provides a progress to quantify blood flow. Colonic anastomosis deishence is sometimes associated with hipovolemic shock. The aim of the present study was to correlate the bowel blood flow alterations due to hypovolemic shock and colonic anastomosis healing. Sixteen dogs were submited to colonic anastomosis. In eight of them shock was induced. The blood flow was measured during all surgical procedure except when anastomosis was being performed. Also cardiac frequency and medium arterial pressure were measured during all the experiment and hematocrit was obtained from three different samples. On the 7th post operative day, dogs were reoperated to evaluate the anastomosis. Fifteen centimeters of colon with the anastomosis were resected to access anastomosis rupture pressure, colagen densitometry and histology features. Infection complication were twice higher in the shock group compared to the non-shock group. There was no statistic difference between groups relating to rupture pressure. However the total colagen concentration was higher in the non-shock group and histologic study showed better healing parameters in the non-shock group. We concluded that low intestinal flow provides worse anastomosis healing, a high incidence of clinical complications, low colagen concentration and a low standard histology parameters.
Wound healing; Colon; Shock
