Nitric oxide inhalation, a proposed strategy for early treatment of hemorrhagic shock

Nitric oxide (NO), an endothelial-derived relaxing factor, plays important roles in a variety of pathophysiological conditions such as hemorrhagic shock (HS). So far, the impact of NO administration in HS treatment has been controversial. Through literature review, we summarize here the biphasic effects of NO in early and late phases of HS. Evidence suggests that NO administration is beneficial in the early stage while detrimental in the late stage of HS. We further propose inhalation of NO as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HS in the early stage.