The Relationship between Liver Dysfunction, Electrocardiographic Abnormalities and Metabolism in Rat

Abstract

Introduction: Liver disorders may lead to many critical complications such as electrical heart abnormalities. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the severity of liver dysfunctions, electrocardiogram variables and oxygen consumption. Methods: Female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups of sham, partial portal vein ligation (PPVL), common bile duct ligation (CBDL), and combination of them (CBDL+ PPVL). 28 days after the first surgery, animals were anesthetized; ECG recorded and right femoral artery and vein cannulated. Blood gas parameters and complete blood count were measured and the arterial-venous oxygen content difference (A-VO2) calculated. Results: QT interval and QTc in the CBDL+PPVL and CBDL groups were longer than those of the sham and PPVL groups. Furthermore, there were abnormal and bizarre T waves in the CBDL and CBDL+PPVL groups. In the CBDL+PPVL group, arterial O2 pressure was lower while arterial CO2 pressure and plasma concentration of HCO3- were higher than those of the other groups. A-VO2 in the CBDL+PPVL group was also lower than those of the other groups, and in the CBDL group was less than that of the PPVL group. Conclusions: In this study, we detected bizarre T waves and increased QT interval and QTc in the ECG of cirrhotic rats, which could be partly linked to the severity of liver dysfunction and reduction of metabolism.