Failure of hypertonic saline to resuscitate intestinal ischemia shock in the rat

The effects of resuscitation with hypertonic saline (HS), administered as a bolus injection or infusion, were studied in a model of intestinal ischemia shock in rats. The model is characterized by severe intestinal mucosal lesions, release of cardioinhibitory substances and endogenous opioid peptides, and it results in high mortality rates. The blood pressure improved after HS given as an infusion for 1 h. The effects on blood pressure of HS given as a bolus and of normotonic saline (NS) were not significant. Plasma volume was not different from unshocked control animals in either HS infusion or NS infusion groups 2 and 4 h after infusion. Liver metabolic consequences of intestinal shock did not differ comparing the HS and NS groups, and the same result was found concerning the mucosal lesions in the small intestine. The 7-day survival decreased in the HS infusion group (14%) compared to untreated shock (46%) or NS infusion (54%) groups. We conclude that HS failed to resuscitate intestinal ischemia shock. These experiments indicate that HS treatment could even, in contrast to previous reports on hemorrhagic shock, be disadvantageous or dangerous in shock states characterized by extensive tissue injury.