Myocardial Contractile Force in Hemorrhagic Shock

HEMORRHAGIC shock has been subject of concern to clinicians and has excited considerable interest among scores of investigators. The proper treatment of the patient in hemorrhagic shock constitutes a continuing discussion which has not been fully resolved. For many years, the accepted method of treating the severely hypotensive patient included a vasoconstrictor agent such as levarterenol or metaproteranol sulfate. These agents were effective in producing a marked elevation of blood pressure, but often did not result in the survival of the patient. In the mid-1950's such investigators as Nickerson¹and Lillehei²suggested that vasodilating agents may offer a more physiologic approach to the treatment of patients in hemorrhagic shock. It was realized that effective tissue perfusion, rather than a normal blood pressure, was a more important factor in the survival of a shocked patient. This current study was conducted to evaluate myocardial performance when induced hemorrhagic shock is