Effect of Induced and Spontaneous Hypothermia on Survival Time of Uncontrolled Hemorrhagic Shock Rat Model

ABSTRACT

We examined the hypothesis that mild hypothermia (rectal temperature 34 degrees C) results in the same survival time, whether induced spontaneously or intentionally, during untreated, lethal, uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock in rats. Sixty-four Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly assigned to normothermia (Nth) (n=19), spontaneous mild hypothermia (Sp.Hth) (n=25) or controlled mild hypothermia (Con.Hth) (n=20) groups. After blood withdrawal of 3 mL/100 g over 15 minutes, followed by 75% tail amputation under spontaneous breathing and light anesthesia by i.p. injection of pentobarbital sodium, rats were observed without fluid resuscitation or hemostasis for 180 minutes or until death. The initial temperature of the Nth group was artificially maintained throughout the experiment. For the mild hypothermia groups, the Sp.Hth group was exposed to ambient temperature while the Con. Hth group was actively cooled to a target rectal temperature of 34 degrees C. In the Con.Hth group, all rats except one died before 180 minutes. All rats in the Nth group died within 38 minutes, and within 67 minutes in the Sp.Hth group. The average survival time was shortest in the Nth group at 20.3 +/- 5.3 minutes, followed by the Sp.Hth group at 30.1 +/- 13.5 minutes, and the Con.Hth group at 81.9 +/- 39.8 minutes (p 0.01). Tail bleed out volume was 0.51 +/- 0.19, 0.26 +/- 0.15 and 0.19 +/- 0.12 mL/100 g in the Nth, Sp.Hth and Con.Hth groups, respectively (p 0.05). In conclusion, spontaneous mild hypothermia did not prolong the survival time as much as controlled mild hypothermia in the rat model for untreated, lethal, uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock.