Pancreatic blood flow in hemorrhagic shock

Pancretic blood flow rates were determined using a 133Xe washout technique in a total of 40 dogs, 14 of which were used as a control group and the remaining 26 as the experimental group. The initial pancreatic blood flow rates of control group and of the experimerntal group were 85.1 +/- 10.1 ml/100 g/min of pancreas/min and 81.1 +/- 5.4 ml/100 g/min respectively. These values were not significantly different from each other (P > 0.05). In the control group the blood flow was determined 3 times at 30 min intervals. These mean values were 73.0 +/- 9.4, 74.6 +/- 8.7, and 79.4 +/- 10.4 m/100 g/min respectively (P > 0.05). The dogs in the experimental group were bled and the peripheral arterial blood pressure was reduced stepwise to 80, 50, and 30 mm Hg. At each level at 30 min of stabilization period the pancreatic blood flow rates were 49.8 +/- 3.7, 29.3 +/- 2.3 and 20.2 +/- 2.3 ml/100 g/min respectively. These mean values were very significantly reduced compared to those of the control group at 30 min (P < 0.02), at 60 and 90 min (P > 0.001). They were also very significantly different from their own initial values (P < 0.001). The metabolic consequences of this reduction in pancreatic blood flow are discussed.