Effect of small electric currents on intravascular thrombosis in the visualized rat mesentery

¹ Department of Surgery and Surgical Research, and Department of Physiology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York

An experiment was designed to determine the effect of small electric currents on the blood vessels of the rat mesoappendix and mesentery, bathed with 1% gelatin Ringer's solution at temperature of 37° and pH 7.4. Current electrodes were applied to either edge of the rat mesoappendix. A potentiometric circuit was used to determine equipotential lines and transvascular potential differences. A dissecting microscope at 160x magnification was used to observe the rat mesoappendix. An electric field was created by the current passed. Total currents as small as 20 µa with a pole-to-pole potential difference of 20–30 mv maximum and a transvascular potential drop of 1–3 mv often resulted in intravascular occlusion of the vessels in the rat mesoappendix. The effective electric currents and their density were within the range of intensity attained by biologic injury currents. The possibility that injury currents in injured biologic tissues may be related to intravascular occlusion is discussed.

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