Microcirculation of Dogs in Hemorrhagic Shock and After Treatment

MANY STUDIES have been made of microembolism during shock. 1-14 Work done by one of us (R.M.H.) has elaborated on the role of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in the concept of shock. 15-18 Disseminated intravascular coagulation is defined as acute transient coagulation occurring in the flowing blood throughout the vascular tree and which may obstruct the microcirculation. The most important treatment of noncardiac shock is fluid volume administration. If this measure is not effective, a vasodilator may produce dramatic improvement. Adequate oxygen is essential during treatment and tracheotomy or tracheal intubation with oxygen and respirators 18 is often required. Adequate treatment may prevent or reverse DIC. The purpose of this paper is to describe the observation of microcirculation of dogs in shock and after treatment. Materials and Methods Twenty mongrel dogs of both sexes weighing 9.0 to 17.5 kg were used for this study. The principles of laboratory animal care