Anastomosis dehiscence is a main complication of the gastrointestinal surgical procedures. Different factors might influence the healing process, including the presence of an abdominal drain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of different abdominal drains, on the colonic anastomosis healing, in rats. Forty rats, all submitted to a colonic resection followed by a local anastomosis, were divided into 4 groups. Group I was the control. Groups II, III and IV received and abdominal drain constituted of latex, PVC or silicone, respectively. One week after, animals were killed and had their abdominal cavity inspected macroscopically (peritonitis, adhesions, dehiscence, and abscesses). The anastomotic regions were submitted to histological and biochemical evaluations. In total, 4 macroscopic, 13 histological and 1 biochemical criteria were evaluated and some of them did not show statistical differences between groups. Group II showed a negative outcome in comparison to the others. Control groups had a positive healing condition in comparison to the others. In conclusion, the abdominal drain, independently of the constituting material, is a negative factor which interferes with anastomosis healing, compared to controls. The latex drain showed the worse effect on healing, when compared to other drains.
abdominal drain; anastomosis healing; anastomosis dehiscence
