Potential new treatments for hemorrhagic shock

Blood loss due to severe internal injuries requires rapid action to prevent mortality.

Using a swine model for severe hemorrhagic shock and uncontrolled abdominal hemorrhage, three methods of treatment were investigated. In a paper to be presented at the 2007 Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Annual Meeting, James Manning, MD, will show that Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carrier (HBOC)-201 resuscitation maintained survival longer than Hetastarch, and in particular, targeting a Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) of 80 mm Hg was more favorable than a target MAP of 100 mm Hg.

HBOC-201 is expected to improve treatments in human trauma victims, particularly in pre-hospital or battlefield settings where blood is generally not available for transfusion. This product is in clinical trials abroad, and the U. S. Navy is seeking regulatory approval to initiate a trauma trial in the United States. Dr. Manning indicates that this product shows promise as a life-saving treatment for severe injuries with major blood loss.

The presentation is entitled Mesenteric Blood Flow During Hemoglobin-Based Oxygen Carrier (HBOC)-201 Fluid Resuscitation In A Swine Model Of Severe Hemorrhagic Shock And Uncontrolled Abdominal Hemorrhage by James E. Manning, MD, and Laurence Katz, MD, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.