The effect of pneumatic antishock garments in the treatment of lethal combined hepatic and caval injuries in rats.

Thirty rats were subjected to a standardized lethal hepatic and retrohepatic caval vein injury. The animals were divided into six groups. In addition to controls (I), the animals were treated with a pneumatic antishock garment (PASG) (II), massive intravenous (III), or intra-aortic (IV), saline infusion, or PASG in combination with either massive intravenous (V) or intra-aortic (VI) saline infusion. Intravenous and intra-aortic infusion of saline led to a median survival time of 13 min and 37 min, respectively, not statistically different from the control group. Nine of ten animals who had the combined treatment with PASG and infusion of saline developed a fulminant pulmonary edema. The treatment with PASG alone, however, prolonged survival time significantly from a median survival time of 10 min in the control group, to greater than 120 min in the treated group.