Survival in a rat model of lethal hemorrhagic shock is prolonged following resuscitation with a small volume of a solution containing a drag-reducing polymer derived from aloe vera.

Drag-reducing polymers (DRP) increase tissue perfusion at constant driving pressure. We sought to evaluate the effects of small-volume resuscitation with a solution containing a DRP in a rat model of hemorrhage. Anesthetized rats were hemorrhaged at a constant rate over 25 min. In protocol A, total blood loss was 2.45 mL/100 g, whereas in protocol B, total blood loss was 3.15 mL/100 g. Five minutes after hemorrhage, the animals were resuscitated with 7 mL/kg of either normal saline (NS) or NS containing 50 microg/mL of an aloe vera-derived DRP. In protocol B, a third group (CON) was not resuscitated. Whole-body O2 consumption (Vo2) and CO2 production (Vco2) were measured using indirect calorimetry. In protocol A, 5/10 rats in the NS group and 8/10 rats in the DRP group survived for 4 h (P = 0.14). Mean arterial pressure was higher in the DRP-treated group than in the NS-treated group 45 min after resuscitation (89 +/- 8 vs. 68 +/- 5 mmHg, respectively; P < 0.05). In protocol B, survival rates over 2 h in the DRP, NS, and CON groups were 5/15, 1/14, and 0/7, respectively (P < 0.05). Compared with NS-treated rats, those resuscitated with DRP achieved a higher peak Vo2 (9.0 +/- 1.0 vs. 6,3+/- 1.0 mL/kg/min) and Vco2 (9.0 +/- 1.1 vs. 6.0 +/- 1.0 mL/kg/min) after resuscitation. We conclude that resuscitation with a small volume of DRP prolongs survival in rats with lethal hemorrhagic shock.