The critical relationship of intravascular blood volume and vascular capacitance in sepsis.

The present article represents a more detailed study of the septic leg models used in our previous work on sepsis and septic shock. An improvement in this model is described, and the period of maximum hyperdynamic response is delineated. An attempt was made to measure changes in the rate of swelling of the septic leg in responding and nonresponding dogs. The exquisitely sensitive response of the dog with sepsis to minor reductions in blood volume was demonstrated. Results of our previous studies concerning the redistribution of blood flow in sepsis were extended using radioactively labeled microspheres.