Reticuloendothelial Clearance of Circulating Fibrin in the Pathogenesis of the Generalized Shwartzman Reaction

Intravenous injections of endotoxin or infusions of thrombin in the rabbit initiate intravascular coagulation but do not usually result in massive deposition of fibrin. It has been proposed that the reticuloendothelial system may function efficiently in the removal of circulating fibrin; its blockade permits reproduction of all of the features of the generalized Shwartzman reaction by infusions of thrombin. In the rabbit the reticuloendothelial system may constitute the major protective mechanism against the vasculo-occlusive lesions of the generalized Shwartzman reaction, which appears to be the direct consequence of intravascular fibrin formation and deposition.