Effect of hemorrhagic shock on 5-hydroxytryptamine removal by the lung.

The biogenic amine, radioactive 5-hydroxytryptamine, is removed from the blood during passage through the pulmonary vasculature. After one hour of hemorrhagic shock, the extraction rate increased from 74 to 89 per cent. One and two hours after resuscitation, the lung extracted only 30 per cent of the 5-hydroxytryptamine. The relationship between the pathophysiologic state and altered amine removal is a reflection of prolonged exposure to receptor sites or increased diffusion of serotonin across the endothelium.