Resuscitation in uncontrolled hemorrhage

Fluid resuscitation is considered to be an integral component of the management of hemorrhagic shock. Numerous experimental studies of hypovolemic shock have confirmed the value of volume infusions, but in these models the rate, volume, and duration of bleeding are carefully controlled. The results of such studies may not be applicable to clinical hemorrhage, in which bleeding continues unabated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250 to 390 g were anesthetized, and a femoral artery and vein were cannulated for constant blood pressure monitoring and fluid infusion. Through a midline abdominal incision, the distal ileocolic artery and vein were transected and allowed to bleed freely into the peritoneal cavity