Survival after hypertonic saline resuscitation from hemorrhage.

There has been recent increased interest in hypertonic saline resuscitation from shock and hemorrhage. This study was performed to evaluate the survival effects of hypertonic saline resuscitation. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats of average weight of 325 grams were anesthetized with halothane. Animals were subjected to blood loss of 21 ml/kg over 5 minutes. Intravenous infusion was started 10 minutes after hemorrhage with either lactated Ringer's injection (42 ml/kg) or three per cent NaCl (10.64 ml/kg) chosen randomly. These doses provided equal amounts of sodium. At the end of fluid infusion, blood samples were obtained for electrolyte determination. Rats were observed 3 days for survival. Survival was significantly lower in the three per cent NaCl group compared with the lactated Ringer's group. It is probable that worsened outcome with three per cent NaCl was associated with intracellular dehydration.