OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy of early fluid resuscitation on hepatic steatosis in rats after severe scald.

METHODSOne hundred and forty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were enrolled in the study. In thirty-six rats skin of 30% TBSA was treated with cold water to serve as sham injury group. All other rats were inflicted with 30% full-thickness scald, and they were subdivided into 3 groups, i. e. scald group(S, without resuscitation), delayed resuscitation group ( DR, with Ringer's solution at 6 post-scald hour(PSH) ) and early resuscitation group( ER, with Ringer's solution immediately after scald). The hepatic tissues of the rats were harvested at 0.5, 1.0,2.0,3.0,7.0 post-scald hour( PSH) and on 21.0 PSD for the observation of pathological changes with light-microscope and transmission electron microscope. The serum contents of TC, TG, HDL, ALP were determined at the same time-points. Body weight of each rat was measured before blood sampling, and total liver weight after blood sampling. Liver weight/body weight ratio was recorded.

RESULTSCompared with sham injury group, the fat denaturation degree of hepatic tissue in ER group was obviously less than that in S and DR group . The serum level of high density lipoprotein (TC) , triglyceride ( TG) , and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) after scald increased ranking as S > DR > ER, while the level of HDL decreased in that order. The liver weight/body weight ratio of the rats in DR group on 1.0 PSD was obviously elevated compared with that in ER group( P <0. 05) , and there exhibited significant difference of liver weight/body weight ratio between DR and ER groups on 7. 0 PSD ( P < 0. 01). The liver steatosis had obvious negative correlation with HDL content after scald( r = -0. 37, P <0.01) , but it had positive correlation with the ALP content( r = 0. 45, P <0. 01), TG content( r = 0. 25, P <0. 01) and liver weight/body weight ratio( r = 0. 440, P <0. 01). The remaining parameters showed no correlation with the liver steatosis.

CONCLUSIONFluid resuscitation immediately after scald can ameliorate hepatic fatty degeneration, reduce its incidence, and beneficial to recovery of liver damage to a certain extent.