ABSTRACT
Following hemorrhagic shock, severe deragements of hemodynamic and inmune responses occur wich may lead to increased mortality and infectious complications. We utilized a murine model of hemorrhagic shock, and tested the effects of pre-feeding animals for 7 days with 3 different diets. Two consecutive acute hemorrhages were induced by cutting the tail under light anesthesia 30 min apart, with each bleeding depleting the animal of approximately 20// of the blood volume. At 24 hrs after hemorrhage, a period of maximal immunosuppresionand susceptibility to srpsis, animals underwent septic challenge, using cecal ligation. Pre-feeding the animals with a defined diet which contains high protein, arginine, nucleic acids, and structured lipids including fish oil (ImpactTM) improved survival after subsequent abdominal sepsis, compared to animals receiving standard rodent chow does not contain supplemental arginine, nucleic acids or structured lipids (TraumacalTM). Although special diets may improve survival in the face of subsequent septic challenge, the mechanisms involved are not clear, and factors other than immune simulation may account for this effect