The effects of Cross Circulation with normal dogs on the dogs with experimentally induced, fatal, acute hepatic failures were evaluated from the viewpoint of survival rate and Blood ammonia metabolism; using 104 mongrel dogs. The results obtained from the studies were as follows:
1) The ammonia concentration of blood samples obtained from various blood vessels of control dogs were measured as follows:
Blood in the portal vein (15 cases) showed 3.10 7,/ml, blood in the renal vein (9 cases) 2.21 7-/ml, blood in the Femoral artery (15 cases) 1.22 7,/ml, blood in the femoral vein (15 cases) 1.08 7/ml, and blood in the hepatic vein (10 cases) showed 0.88 7/ml.
2) Ammonium chloride tolerance test in control dogs (5 cases) showed the highest ammonia concentration of blood 30 minutes after administration. In comparison with the concentration of preloading period it increased 2.08 ;r/ml in.blood in the femoral artery, 1.10 7-/ml in blood in the femoral vein and 0.09 7-/ml in blood in the hepatic vein. The increased concentration returned to the preloading level 2 hours after administration. Especially the hepatic vein concentration of ammonia showed the least increse even 30 minutes after administration.
3) In cross circulation between normal dogs, no significant side effect were observed, and all the cases survived. Ammonia concentration of blood showed no significant differences before, during and after cross circulation in both animals.
4) Ammonium chloride tolerance test during cross circulation between normal dogs showed considerably lowered level of blood ammonia concentration than that of control dogs without cross circulation
5) The group of dogs undergoing total hepatectomy without glucose injection (6 cases), died 1 hour 56 minutes (average) after hepatectomy, and the group with glucose injection (4 cases) died 3 hours 23 minutes after hepatectomy. Blood ammonia concentration after total hepatectomy was the same in both groups, and showed a marked progressive increase after total hepatectomy. Especially the femoral artery concentration of ammonia showed an abrupt increased level soon after total hepatectomy, and always persisted higher than that of the femoral vein. When the dogs died, the differences between these vessels had almost disappeared.
6) In the group of. cross circulation between 5 pairs of totally hepatectomized dogs and normal dogs, the hepatectomized dogs died 3 hours 50 minutes (average) after hepatectomy. Blood ammonia concentration in the hepatectomized dogs decreased markedly during cross circulation especially in blood of the femoral artery.
7) In the group of 1 hour occlusion of the hepatic artery immediately after Eck´s operation (portecevel end-to-side anastomosis), al the cases died 12 hours 25 minutes (average) after the operation. Blood ammonia concentration increased markedly, especially in blood of the femoral artery and the hepatic vein.
8) in the group of cross circulation for 4 hours, between 3 pairs of dogs with 1 hour occlusion of the hepatic artery immediately after Eck´s operation and normal dogs 4 hours after the operation, 2 out of 3 dogs with the operation survived after cross circulation. Blood ammonia concentration decreased markedly during and after cross circulation, especially in blood of the hepatic vein.
9) In the group of dogs with acute liver injury secondary to injection of carbon tetrachloride (2 cc/kg) intreperitoneelly (7 cases), all the cases died 28 hours 3 minutes (average) after the injection. Blood ammonia concentration did not increase in blood of the femoral artery and vein, except for the hepatic vein which increased rather significantly. Ammonium chloride tolerance tests which were performed 24 hours after the injection of carbon tetrachloride, persisted at markedly high levels of blood ammonia concentration. Especially the ammonia concentration of blood in the femoral artery and the hepatic vein increased again 3 hours after the loading.
10) In the group of cross circuation for 4 hours between 4 pairs of dogs 24 hours after injected with carbon tetrachloride (2 cc/kg) intreperitoneally and normal dogs, 3 dogs of those with the injection survived after cross circulation. Blood ammonia concentration in the femoral artery and the femoral vein showed no changes before, during and after cross circulation, except for the hepatic vein which although increased slightly after the injection, showed slight tendency to decrease during cross circulation. Ammonium chloride tolerance tests during cross circulation showed persistently lower levels of blood ammonia concentration than that of the group without cross circulation.
The author thinks that the dogs with experimentally induced, fatal, acute hepatic failures could survive due to improvement of those disturbed liver function by cross circulation with normal dogs.
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