Intestinal Weight Changes in Hemorrhagic Shock

¹ From the Department of Physiology, Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio

The weight of a segment of small intestine was continuously measured in dogs during a standardized hemorrhagic shock procedure. In 11 of 17 experiments intestinal weight decreased during hemorrhagic hypotension, while in the remaining 6 an unequivocal increase occurred. The magnitude and the direction of these changes were not correlated with changes in portal venous pressure. In late stages of hypotension a small rise in intestinal weight and in portal pressure was observed. On transfusion, intestinal weight increased further and in 13 of 17 experiments exceeded control levels. There was a small continuing increase of intestinal weight in most of these preparations as shock developed. This weight increase was correlated with the accumulation of sloughed mucosal cells and blood in the lumen of the intestine. In the four experiments in which intestinal weight did not reach control levels with reinfusion, there was a further reduction of weight as the animals went into shock. It is concluded that intravascular pooling of blood in the intestine is not a necessary feature of hemorrhagic shock.