Intraperitoneal placement of a microdialysis catheter in patients with gastrointestinal anastomosis: preliminary results of a prospective study

Aim

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of monitoring patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery with a microdialysis catheter, as compared with the traditional clinical and laboratory methods.

Materials and methods

Ten patients undergoing gastrointestinal operations with enterectomy and anastomosis were prospectively studied. The gastrointestinal microdialysis catheter was placed in the peritoneal cavity intraoperatively just before closure. Microdialysate samples were collected every 4 hours and analyzed with a colorimetric method for glucose, glycerol, lactate and pyruvate. These markers are connected with tissue ischemia as well as the lactate/pyruvate ratio. These data were compared with clinical findings and blood tests.

Results

In eight patients with an uneventful postoperative course, the results of microdialysis were in accordance to the corresponding clinical and laboratory findings. In two patients with postoperative septic complications, the results of microdialysis notably anteceded the other markers. No complications related to the placement of the microdialysis catheter was noted.

Conclusions

These preliminary results indicate that microdialysis is safe and effective in detecting septic complications in patients with gastrointestinal tract anastomosis and shows a time advantage over the classical monitoring technique.