Improved survival and reticuloendothelial function with intravenous ATP-MgCl2 following hemorrhagic shock

There is controversy concerning the efficacy of ATP-MgCl2 in improving survival following hemorrhagic shock. To resolve this issue, the effect of ATP-MgCl2 infusion on survival following shock was reinvestigated. Rats were bled to and maintained at a mean arterial blood pressure of 40 mmHg for 90 min. Following reinfusion of the remaining shed blood, the animals were treated with ATP-MgCl2 (25 mumoles each) or saline. Survival was measured in one group of animals, and in another group of animals reticuloendothelial (RE) function was determined with 131I gelatinized test lipid emulsion in search of the mechanism of the beneficial effect of ATP-MgCl2 following hemorrhagic shock. The results indicate that survival was significantly improved if the animals were treated with ATP-MgCl2 following hemorrhagic shock. In addition, RE function, which was markedly depressed following hemorrhagic shock, was significantly improved by ATP-MgCl2 treatment, indicating that the beneficial effect of ATP-MgCl2 for hemorrhagic shock could be through the improvement of RE function.