Hepatosplanchnic circulation in cirrhosis and sepsis

Figure 1 Anatomy of the splanchnic, portal and hepatic venous circulation. (With permission: Gelman S, Mushlin PS. Catecholamine-induced changes in the splanchnic circulation affecting systemic hemodynamics. Anesthesiology 2004, 100: 434-439).

Figure 2 Damage to the intestinal barrier leads to bacterial translocation and endotoxaemia and thus to impairment of liver function and increase in portal pressure, possibly causing further damage to the gut: a vicious circle. (With permission: Thalheimer U, Triantos CK, Samonakis DN, Patch D, Burroughs AK. Infection, coagulation, and variceal bleeding in cirrhosis. Gut 2005; 54: 556-563).

Figure 3 Endotoxaemia, bacterial translocation, and bacterial infection may be different expressions of the same process at different degrees of severity, and are associated with increasingly severe complications. NO: Nitric oxide; TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor-α. (With permission: Thalheimer U, Triantos CK, Samonakis DN, Patch D, Burroughs AK. Infection, coagulation, and variceal bleeding in cirrhosis. Gut 2005; 54: 556-563).