Nitric oxide–supplemented resuscitation improves early gastrointestinal blood flow in rats subjected to hemorrhagic shock without late consequences

Abstract Background We have shown that hemorrhage/resuscitation altered gastrointestinal blood flow (GI-BF) and that gastric perfusion did not recover after resuscitation. This study aimed to determine the effect of nitric oxide (NO) supplemented resuscitation on the mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), GI-BF, and outcome after hemorrhagic shock. Methods Rats were subjected to hemorrhage and resuscitation with/without the NO-donor S-nitroso human serum albumin (S-NO-HSA). GI-BF was determined using colored microspheres. Results NO supplementation significantly decreased MAP at the end of resuscitation. At the same time point, the GI-BF has significantly increased in the stomach, duodenum, and colon. Two hours after treatment discontinuation, there was no difference in either MAP or GI-BF between NO-supplemented and control groups. The survival times indicated that S-NO-HSA treatment was noninferior compared with control. Conclusions NO-supplemented resuscitation improves the GI-BF during the early stage of resuscitation without a negative impact on short-/long-term survival despite a transient MAP decrease.