Irreversible hemorrhagic shock in rats: changes in blood glucose and liver glycogen

Abstract

Paired fed and fasted rats were subjected to the standard shock procedure consisting of a combination of tail bleeding and heart puncture with an intervening recovery period of 90 minutes. Mortality rates in the two groups were similar but the survival times were shortened in the fasted group. Following tail bleeding all animals mobilized glucose into the blood stream and developed severe hyperglycemia. In those individuals in either group which ultimately died, the blood sugar levels were further reduced following heart puncture; the rates of glucose loss were inversely proportional to survival time; the results were terminal hypoglycemias and near exhaustion of liver glycogen. In contrast, the survivors in either group, examined 4 hours after heart puncture, were found to be hyperglycemic and engaged in glycogen neogenesis. It is concluded that the ultimate death or survival of an animal in hemorrhagic shock is independent of its initial glucose reserves, but seems somehow to be related to its ability to maintain itself in a hyperglycemic state.