Pathophysiology of Endotoxin Shock in Primates and the Effect of Various Therapeutic Agents

Abstract

An investigation designed to test the theory that E. coli endotoxin affects the circulation in the pulmonary vascular bed more than that of any other area was carried out in 14 female Macaca mulatto, monkeys. Observations of the mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, central blood volume, and central venous pressure following an intravenous injection of the endotoxin in untreated control animals and in those treated by means of blood transfusion, isoproterenol, or a combination of both agents, disproved the working hypothesis.