08 June 2025
Nagy kontrasztú változat Alapértelmezett színséma DE 
HU

SMI_logo_export-01 University of Szeged
Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School
Institute of Surgical Research
Research  --  General information  --  Research methods  --  Experimental surgery and experimental intensive care

Experimental surgery and experimental intensive care

The main research field of the research group is the investigation of the physiological and pathological regulation of the circulation by the application of clinically compatible animal models of human pathologies.

We perform our experiments in a two following research fields:

 

1. Sepsis


Research group leader: Dr. József Kaszaki


Research background:

Sepsis remains one of the leading causes of death in the intensive care units all around the world without an effective and adequate therapy. The main problem of sepsis is the imbalance between oxygen the delivery and cellular oxygen consumption (oxygen dynamical disturbances), which require complex haemodynamical monitoring and blood gas analysis. Disturbance of the oxygen dynamics lead necessarily to irreversible oxygen extraction deficit and energy shortage of cells. The cornerstone of acute care should be to prevent, assess and treat oxygen debt globally, and both at the levels of macro- and microcirculation and the cellular level.


In our experiments, we apply a live bacterial flora-induced rodent and mini-pig models of sepsis (License number of experimentation: V./2884/2022). We hope that these studies could lead us closer to understanding and treating the pathology of this severe, multiple organ failure associated condition.


2. Cardiovascular Circulatory Disorders

Research group leaders: Dr. Dániel Érces, Dr. Gabriella Varga

Research Background:

  1. Cardiogenic shock typically develops after myocardial infarction, but it can also occur following cardiac surgery, during emergency surgical conditions (e.g., abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture, pericardial tamponade), as an intra- or postoperative complication, and after non-cardiac surgical procedures (NCSP). Additionally, it can emerge during septic or he morrhagic shock. Cardiogenic shock is one of the most dangerous complications of cardiac surgery and invasive cardiology procedures. One of the primary research focuses is the investigation of cardiogenic shock associated with NCSP using a standardized experimental model. This model enables precise characterization of the duration, severity, pathophysiological features, and outcomes of circulatory failure. Furthermore, it provides a controlled platform for evaluating therapeutic interventions aimed at modulating the underlying disease mechanisms.

  2. During extracorporeal circulation (ECC) utilized in cardiac surgical procedures, the interaction between blood and the foreign surfaces of the ECC apparatus triggers the activation of numerous inflammatory cascade. The modulation of this systemic inflammatory response is critical for mitigating complications associated with invasive interventions. Our research aims to establish an in vivo ECC model to investigate the effects of anti-inflammatory agents, including biological gases, under clinically relevant conditions. The experiments are conducted on anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, and hemodynamically monitored miniature pigs. Preliminary results indicate that our large animal model is appropriate for examining the repercussions of clinical ECC, particularly the inflammatory response elicited post-ECC.

Materials and methods:
The group has access to fully equipped large and small animal (rodent) operating rooms. In the connected circulatory laboratories, we are able to monitor complex circulation using computer-controlled hemodynamic data collection and measurement systems. Blood pressure and flow parameters can be simultaneously recorded from multiple organs. For these circulatory studies, we use ultrasound flow meters and thermo-dilution sensors for temperature and pressure measurements. Cardiac output, a key determinant of circulation, can be measured via thermo-dilution methods in both large and small animal models. Oxygen dynamics are continuously monitored with a Cobas b121 blood gas analyzer. To evaluate cardiac function, left ventricular pressure is measured using a high-frequency micromanometer catheter, while left ventricular diameter is assessed with a sonomicrometer, employing ultrasonic crystal pairs. Continuous intravenous and inhalational anesthesia, along with ventilation, is maintained for both rodent and miniature pig models throughout experimental procedures.