The hemodynamic response to traction on the abdominal mesentery

Abstract

This study is in contrast to published accounts of the hemodynamic effects of abdominal mesenteric traction during anesthesia that indicate the response to be an occasional decrease in systemic blood pressure due to venous pooling with decreased return to the heart and subsequent decrease in CO. Our data indicate that the response is a nearly universal decrease in MAP secondary to marked systemic vasodilation accompanied by a compensatory increase in CO. Changes in HR, CVP, and PCWP varied, and there seemed to be no significant effect on the pulmonary vascular system.