Cerebral edema following acute hemorrhage in a murine model: the role crystalloid resuscitation.

Unanesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats were bled 40% of their blood volume. After 1 hour of hypovolemia, the animals were resuscitated with either lactated Ringer's solution (LRS) or hypertonic lactated saline (HLS). They received a volume of crystalloid equal to the shed blood volume or twice the shed blood volume. Twenty-four hours after resuscitation, the animals were sacrificed and the brains excised. The per cent water content was determined. Severe hemorrhage without resuscitation resulted in significantly increased intracerebral water content (77.7 +/- 1.0 vs 78.9 +/- 0.7 p less than 0.05). Resuscitation with twice the shed blood volume of either LRS or HLS prevented this increase in intracerebral water. These data support the conclusion that adequate resuscitation is the critical factor in preventing cerebral edema following acute severe hemorrhage.