Hyperbaric oxygen for severe acute pancreatitis in mice

Objective To study the therapeutic effect of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in a rat model of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Methods Sixty-four rats were induced with severe pancreatitis using 4％ sodium taurocholate and randomized to HBO treatment group or control group. HBO was commenced 6h after induction ( 100％ oxygen at 2. 5 atmospheres for 90 min) and continued every 12 h for a maximum of eight treatment episodes. Surviving animals were killed at 7th day. Severity of pancreatitis was graded macroscopically and microscopically. Results Macroscopic and microscopic severity scores of HBO-treated animals with pancreatitis were lower than those of controls[( 8. 2 ± 0. 8) vs ( 10. 6 ± 0. 6), and (9. 5 ±0. 3 ) vs ( 11.2 ± 0. 3 ), P ＜ 0. 05]. The HBO-treated group had reduced pancreatic necrosis compared to controls[(41 ± 5 ) ％ vs (55 ± 5 ) ％ , P ＜ 0. 01]. There was no difference in pulmonary edema between the groups ( P ＞ 0.05 ). Day-7 survival was significantly improved in the HBO-treated animals compared to controls[(39 ±3)％ vs (26 ± 1)％ ,P ＜0. 05]. Conclusion HBO therapy reduces overall severity, decreases the extent of necrosis, and improves survival in SAP. Key words: Severe acute pancreatitis; Necrosis; Hyperbaric oxygen