Membrane defect and energy status of rabbit skeletal muscle cells in sepsis and septic shock.

Measurements of the resting membrane potential in skeletal muscle were used to monitor cell function in live Escherichia coli-induced sepsis and septic shock. Depolarization of the cell membrane, indicative of cell swelling, occurred before the onset of deep hypotension, suggesting cellular injury as a primary cause rather than a result of shock. The normal values for high-energy phosphates found in skeletal muscle in the terminal stages of shock reduce the possibility of an energy deficit as one of the factors in the cellular membrane malfunctions in septic shock.