Influence of brain death and associated trauma on solid organ histological characteristics Influência da morte encefálica e do trauma associado nas características histológicas de órgãos sólidos

• Published in: Acta cirúrgica brasileira 2012-07, Vol.27 (7), p.465-470
• Main Authors: Rafael Simas, Diogo Haruo Kogiso, Cristiano de Jesus Correia, Luiz Fernando Ferraz da Silva, Isaac Azevedo Silva, José Walber Miranda Costa Cruz, Paulina Sannomiya, Luiz Felipe Pinho Moreira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brain Death; Craniocerebral Trauma; Morte Encefálica; Pathology; Patologia; Ratos; Rats; Traumatismos Craniocerebrais
• ISSN: 0102-8650; 1678-2674
• DOI: 10.1590/S0102-86502012000700006

PURPOSE: To evaluate histopathological alterations triggered by brain death and associated trauma on different solid organs in rats. METHODS: Male Wistar rats (n=37) were anesthetized with isoflurane, intubated and mechanically ventilated. A trepanation was performed and a balloon catheter inserted into intracraninal cavity and rapidly inflated with saline to induce brain death. After induction, rats were monitored for 30, 180, and 360 min for hemodynamic parameters and exsanguinated from abdominal aorta. Heart, lung, liver, and kidney were removed and fixed in paraffin to evaluation of histological alterations (H&E). Sham-operated rats were trepanned only and used as control group. RESULTS: Brain dead rats showed a hemodynamic instability with hypertensive episode in the first minute after the induction followed by hypotension for approximately 1 h. Histological analyses showed that brain death induces vascular congestion in heart (p