2026 Critical Care Congress Skip to main content
2026 Critical Care Congress Main banner
Final Program


Pocket Pal
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Session Icons
Thought Leader Session
Thought Leader Session
Guidelines Session
Guidelines Session
Aging Adult Track
Aging Adult Track
Additional Registration Fee
Additional Registration Fee

Research Snapshot Theater: Sepsis, Adult III

Drag-Reducing Polymers Mitigate Mortality and Encephalopathy in Rat CASP Sepsis

Sunday, March 22, 2026
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM Central Time
Location: Connections Central - RST 14

  • Denis E. Bragin, Ph.D., FAHA (he/him/his)

    Lovelace Biomedical, New Mexico

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose.

  • FK

    Fazle Kibria, Ph.D.

    PostDoc
    Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, New Mexico

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • OB

    Olga A. Bragina, Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor
    Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, New Mexico

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • AT

    Alex O. Trofimov, MD, Ph.D.

    Associate Professor
    Privolzhsky Research Medical University

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • Michael R. Pinsky, MD, FAPS, MCCM (he/him/his)

    University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania

    Disclosure(s): Baxter: Advisory Board (Ongoing), Speaker/Honoraria (includes speakers bureau, symposia, and expert witness) (Ongoing); BD Ltd: Consultant (Ongoing), Consulting fees or other remuneration (Ongoing); Deltex Ltd: Grant/Research Support (Terminated); Edwards Lifesciences: Advisory Board (Ongoing), Grant/Research Support (Ongoing); LiDCO: Advisory Board (Ongoing); Masimo: Advisory Board (Ongoing), Speaker/Honoraria (includes speakers bureau, symposia, and expert witness) (Ongoing); Pulsion Ltd: Grant/Research Support (Terminated); Radiometer: Advisory Board (Ongoing); Werfen: Advisory Board (Ongoing)

  • HG

    Hernando Gómez, MD, MPH

    Associate Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine
    University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • CI

    Can Ince, Ph.D.

    Professor
    Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • EN

    Edwin M. Nemoto, Ph.D., FAHA

    Professor
    University of New Mexico School of Medicine, New Mexico

    Disclosure information not submitted.

Introduction: Sepsis triggers microvascular failure, mortality, and neurocognitive sequelae. Drag-reducing polymers (DRP) enhance microcirculation. We tested whether DRP improve survival and neurobehavior after Colon Ascendens Stent Peritonitis (CASP) in rats.


Methods: Male Wistar rats underwent CASP stratified as mild–moderate or moderate–severe. Animals received saline or DRPs (140 μg/kg i.v.). Survival was followed for 30 days. Mild–moderate cohorts underwent Open Field and Novel Object Recognition at 1 and 4 wks.


Results: In moderate–severe CASP, the saline group showed 0% survival by Day 28, while DRP yielded 70% at Day 30. Mild–moderate CASP showed 100% survival in both. Saline-treated rats had increased anxiety, spending less time in center zones at wk 1 (12.3 ± 5.1 s vs. baseline 45.2 ± 3.8 s), while DRP-treated rats showed reduced anxiety at wk 1 (36.7 ± 5.5 s), nearing baseline by wk 4 (41.5 ± 4.2 s). Saline rats had impaired memory (discrimination index 0.18 ± 0.09 vs. 0.65 ± 0.11 baseline), whereas DRPs preserved memory at wk 1 (0.38 ± 0.09) with continued recovery by wk 4 (0.59 ± 0.05).


Conclusions: DRP improved survival in severe CASP and mitigated anxiety and memory deficits after mild CASP, supporting DRP-mediated stabilization of microcirculation as a strategy to reduce sepsis mortality and encephalopathy.