Treatment of Experimental Ileus by Hypertonic Saline Solutions

Abstract

Largely due to the observations of Hughson and Scarff 1 that the intravenous administration of hypertonic sodium chloride solutions increased intestinal movement, hypertonic saline solutions have been used clinically in the treatment of ileus. To determine the relative effects of various hypertonic saline solutions the following investigation was undertaken. One hundred and twenty-four observations were made on 63 animals. Of this group only 113 are included in the present study, because in 8 of the instances a physiologic Ringer's solution was employed and in 3 the results obtained could not be used because of a leak in the intestinal balloon. In each instance, kymographic tracings were made of the intestinal movements, and the results presented are based on an analysis of these tracings. In 75 of the instances, the observations were made with the animal submerged in a normal saline bath 2 (“open abdomen” technic), whereas in 38 the observations were made in the intact, unanes-thetized animal (“closed abdomen” technic), which was made possible by the use of a technic previously described. 3 The following solutions were used for intravenous injection: sodium chloride, 20%; “hypertonic” Ringer's solution; “hypertonic” Hartmann's combined solution; sodium chloride, 20%, and calcium chloride, 5%; sodium chloride, 20%, and calcium chloride, 0.5%; sodium chloride, 20%, and potassium chloride, 0.5%. Ten observations were made on normal animals, 13 on animals with 24-hour intestinal obstruction, 49 on animals with 48-hour obstruction, and 41 on animals with 72-hour obstruction.

Twenty-one observations were made following the intravenous injection of 20% sodium chloride solutions, employing the “open abdomen” technic. The average dose was 8.4 cc. per kilo of body weight. In 90.4% of the instances there was an increase in intestinal activity, in 4.7% there was no change, and in 4.7% there was a decrease in intestinal activity.