Severe autogenously fecal peritonitis in Wistar rats with permanent bilateral carotid occlusion. Response to intra peritoneal moxifloxacin combined with dexamethasone

Abstract

To evaluate the treatment outcome of severe peritonitis in rats submitted to permanent bilateral carotid occlusion (PBCO). Sixteen Wistar rats (mean age of 8.5 months) with PBCO underwent autogenously fecal peritonitis, and were treated with moxifloxacin combined with dexamethasone, and followed-up for 45 days. Ten rats (mean age five months) without PBCO were used as a control group. The variables were expressed by their mean and standard error of the mean (SEM). p<0.05 was used for rejecting the null hypothesis. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee. There was a significant increase (p=0.0002) in the mortality and morbidity in older rats that underwent PBCO (study group). However, even among the survival rats presenting with severe residual abscesses both in the abdomen and thorax cavities, they present an almost normal life. The treatment of severe autogenously fecal peritonitis with intraperitoneal moxifloxacin combined with dexamethasone was very effective in young rats without permanent bilateral carotid occlusion. The treatment reached reasonable results in older rats with PBCO, even considering residual abscesses on abdomen and thorax. Older age was the greater risk factor for the outcome of the treatment of severe peritonitis. Sepsis remains a challenging situation, especially in elderly.