Intestinal ischaemia during cardiac arrest and resuscitation: comparative analysis of extracellular metabolites by microdialysis.

Intestinal ischaemia is a major complication of shock syndromes causing translocation of bacteria and endotoxins and multiple organ failure in intensive care patients. The present study was designed to use microdialysis as a tool to monitor intestinal ischaemia after cardiac arrest and resuscitation in pigs. For this purpose, microdialysis probes were implanted in pig jejunal wall, peritoneum, skeletal muscle and brain, and interstitial fluid was obtained during circulatory arrest (induced by ventricular fibrillation) and after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Cardiac arrest for 4 min caused a prolonged (60 min) reduction of blood flow in jejunal wall, muscle and brain as determine…