Abstract
Summary
In dogs, susceptibility of the intestine to pooling of blood and tissue fluid during the portal hypertensive phase of endotoxin shock is diminished in younger animals. Pressure changes in large and small vessels of the mesentery and changes in intestinal weight per increment in portal pressure of young dogs given endotoxin were similar to the changes previously observed during mechanical elevation of the portal pressure suggesting analogous mechanisms are involved. Thus, during the early period, lesser effects of endotoxin (1 mg/kg) upon the amount of pooling in intestines of immature dogs may be due to an increase in arteriolar resistance, in contrast to the circumstances in older animals in which a decline in arteriolar resistance appears to occur after endotoxin administration.
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