Abstract
Summary
The epinephrine content of peripheral blood of 12 dogs was determined during hemorrhagic hypotension with automatic reinfusion of blood at 40 mm/Hg. The epinephrine content increased from a control value of less than one μg/l to a maximum of 12.5 μg/l which occurred during the period of maximum hemorrhage. This epinephrine level decreased during automatic reinfusion of the blood at 40 mm Hg and reached a level of 5.2 μg/l during the later period of the reinfusion before the dogs died. It is possible that this increased concentration of epinephrine in the circulation is at least partially responsible for the intense vasoconstriction, decreased peripheral blood flow in certain tissues, and detrimental tissue ischemia, typical of hemorrhagic shock in dogs.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.