Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
Complete and Partial Aortic Occlusion for the Treatment of Hemorrhagic Shock in Swine
Published on: August 24, 2018
An observational study of vasopressin infusion during uncontrolled haemorrhagic shock in a porcine trauma model:
Karl H Stadlbauer1, Volker Wenzel, Horst G Wagner-Berger
1Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. karl-heinz.stadlbauer@uibk.ac.at
Abstract:
The effects of vasopressin on the gut in a porcine uncontrolled haemorrhagic shock model are described. In eight anaesthetised pigs, a liver laceration was performed; when haemorrhagic shock was decompensated, all animals received 0.4 IU/kg vasopressin, followed by 0.08 IU/kg min over 30 min, which maintained a mean arterial blood pressure >40 mmHg. Subsequent surgical intervention, infusion of whole blood and fluids resulted in a stable cardiocirculatory status. Three hours after stabilisation, all pigs developed non-bloody diarrhoea which converted into normal bowel movements within 24 h. All histological samples retained 7 days after the experiment revealed no histopathological changes. In conclusion, in this small observational study of uncontrolled porcine haemorrhagic shock, a resuscitation strategy that included high dose vasopressin was associated with transient diarrhoea and good long term survival.
