Auditory brainstem response in gerbils submitted to ischemia and sepsis.

Introduction: An ischemic stroke is a clinical condition that affects thousands of people worldwide. As a result of this injury, neuronal death can be observed, and in the natural course of recovery, the individual may develop sepsis. Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response that can lead the patient to death. To assess the clinical condition of a patient with this condition, the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) can be useful, since it is not an invasive procedure, it is a fast technique and it can be done at the bedside.

Purpose: To assess auditory brainstem response (ABR) latency values in gerbils subjected to ischemia and sepsis.

Methods: ABR values were collected from 72 adult male gerbils, which were divided into six groups: control, sepsis, ischemia, sham, ischemia with sepsis, and sham with sepsis. For the induction of sepsis, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied intraperitoneally in gerbils. The animals were anesthetized with a ketamine/xylazine combination before collection; their ABR were collected before any procedure (base collection), after ischemia, and 24 hours after the application of LPS. The absolute latency of wave IV was evaluated, and the values were compared between groups.

Results: There were significant differences in the groups submitted to sepsis in the latency value of wave IV in relation with the other groups.

Conclusion: ABR was sensitive to sepsis with the increase in latency of wave IV during the development of the disease in the experimental model used.