AMRINONE IMPROVES SURVIVAL IN HEMORRHAGIC-SHOCK

Amrinone is a noncatecholamine inotropic agent used clinically in the management of heart failure. The purpose of this study was to determin e if intravenous (IV) infusion of amrinone has beneficial effects duri ng resuscitation from experimental hemorrhagic shock. Effectiveness wa s defined as significantly improved survival rate. Mean arterial press ure (MAP) and tissue oxygen tension (pO2) were measured to assess the physiologic effects of amrinone. Two separate randomized and blinded s urvival trials were conducted. In each trial, rats were randomly assig ned to either a control group (n = 10) or an experimental group (n = 1 0). All animals were bled 27 ml/kg over 2 minutes and maintained in sh ock for 45 minutes before resuscitation. Resuscitation in placebo (con trol) animals was with 54 ml/kg (2 times the hemorrhage volume) Lactat ed Ringer's solution over 1 hour, whereas resuscitation in drug-treate d animals was with a 0.75 mg/kg bolus amrinone over 3 minutes followed by 54 ml/kg Lactated Ringer's solution and 5 ug/kg/min infusion over 1 hour. Results were that resuscitation with amrinone significantly in creased MAP, tissue pO2, and survival over resuscitation with Lactated Ringer's alone (P < 0.05). In both trials, survival rates increased b y more than 66 per cent in the amrinone groups.