Abstract
Summary
Surgery induced a significant and transient depression of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) as characterized by the impaired phagocytic clearance of colloidal carbon and the gelatinized “RP test lipid emulsion.” RE recovery was observed at approximately 2.5-hr postsurgery, and a phase of RE stimulation existed by 3- and 4-hr postsurgery. Circulating opsonic activity was decreased during RE depression after surgery, and recovered toward control levels during the period of RE recovery. Comparative phagocytic and opsonic determinations suggested that RE depression after surgery was due to the decrease in opsonin activity. These findings support the concept that the increased host susceptibility to disease after surgery may be mediated in part by an alteration of the opsonic system and reticuloendothelial function.
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