CHANGES IN BLOOD AND PLASMA VOLUMES AND HAEMATOCRIT FOLLOWING EXPERIMENT AL SEPTIC SHOCK IN CALVES

Document Type : Research article

Authors

Abstract

Septic shock was induced in se ven clinically healthy calves to eval uate its effect on blood and plasma volumes and haematocrit at various stages of shock. Blood and plasma volume in later stages of shock, declined significantly (P/_ 0.05) to 12.2% and 15.8%, respectively from normal. Howe er, there was no appreciable change in blood and plasma volumes and the haematocrit at initial stages of shock. The rise in the haematocrit in the terminal stage was negatively correlated with the plasma volume. These findings suggest that the septic shock in bov nes is hypovolemic in its terminal stages. Moreover, the changes observed in this investigation were conspicuously different from tho e recorded in other species.