Therapy guided by gastric impedance spectroscopy in a septic shock model in pigs

The disruption of the gastric mucosa plays a key role in the evolution of shock and it is the "motor of multiple organ failure"; in this sense, no clinically useful method to directly monitor the level of mucosal ischemic injury is available yet to guide appropriate therapy for the critically ill. An experimental model was developed in order to demonstrate that resuscitation therapy by gastric impedance spectroscopy, using a minimally invasive gastric catheter, is feasible and therefore, to establish its potential as a practical future clinical monitoring tool for the critically ill. A septic shock model in pigs was developed, which reproduces the hemodynamic conditions of the critically ill patient. Intervention therapies were designed in order to promote changes in hemodynamic response as well as in splanchnic perfusion, conventionally guided and by impedance spectroscopy. At the end of experiments, survival in each intervention therapy was compared and the outcome was better in the therapy group guided by gastric electric impedance spectroscopy.