Host Resistance to Hemorrhagic Shock. XII. Mechanism of Protective Action of Dibenamine. ∗

Abstract

Summary and Conclusions

Since the development of irreversibility to transfusion in hemorrhagic shock has been shown to be caused by bacterial endotoxins, and dibenamine prevents the development of irreversibility, the blood of dibenaminized rabbits in hemorrhagic shock was tested for the presence of endotoxin and found to be toxin free. But because the blood loss in the dibenaminized animal in shock is less than in the non-dibenaminized animal, the absence of toxin might be due to the lesser hypovolemia rather than to the dibenamine. Accordingly, an additional experiment was performed to see if dibenamine given to the rabbit in reversible shock will permit it to survive a transfusion of toxic blood from an irreversibly shocked donor— a procedure which kills the non-dibenaminized rabbit in reversible shock. This experiment demonstrates that dibenamine blocks the action of the toxin, and thereby not only preserves the responsiveness of the circulation, but also prevents the hemorrhagic lesion in the bowel wall, which is characteristic of irreversible shock.