Effects of hepatic inflow occlusion on changes in plasma potassium, histamine, and norepinephrine in rats.

To evaluate the effects of hepatic inflow occlusion without the shunt, the physiological differences were compared in three groups of rats in which the hepatoduodenal ligament was occluded for 15 min, 30 min, and 60 min. The survival rate significantly decreased in the 60 min occlusion group (53.6%) when compared with that of the 15 min and 30 min occlusion groups (95% and 91.6%, respectively). The significant differences in the changes in blood pressure (BP), the values of plasma potassium, histamine (HIS), norepinephrine (NE), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and the values of hematocrit (HT) were also observed between the 30 min and 60 min occlusion groups. The results indicate that, in rats, there is a high probability of an irreversible state to shock after 30 min hepatic inflow occlusion when veno-venous bypass is not applied. The values of plasma HIS and NE and the values of HT in portal blood were significantly greater than those in the general circulation. The results suggest that splanchnic congestion may have a greater influence than hepatic ischemia has in contributing to the deterioration of the physiological state.