Intravascular plastic catheters. How they potentiate tumor necrosis factor release and exacerbate complications associated with sepsis
L. F. Martin, T. C. Vary, P. K. Davis, B. L. Munger, J. C. Lynch, S. Spangler and D. G. Remick
Department of Surgery, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey 17033.
We tested the hypothesis that long-term intravascular cannulation
exacerbates the harmful effects of an infectious challenge. Four groups of
rats were initially studied: rats without intravascular catheters or
infection (group 1), rats without catheters with a polymicrobial infection
(group 2), rats with catheters but no infection (group 3), and rats with
catheters and infection (group 4). Infected animals had an increased
mortality and generated a significantly increased tumor necrosis factor
response compared with noninfected animals. Animals with catheters and
infection generated far less cardiac output than animals from the other
three groups. No histologic changes differentiated the four groups.
Therefore, the presence of a sterile intravascular catheter significantly
increases cardiac dysfunction and mortality rates in rats with chronic
bacteremia. These results suggest that intravascular plastic catheters
potentiate the destructive cascade of events produced by the host in
response to bacteremia.
