Resuscitation with centhaquin and 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 improves survival in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock: a randomized experimental study

Purpose To investigate the effects of the combination of centhaquin and 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 (HES 130/0.4) in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock. Methods Twenty Landrace-Large White pigs were instrumented and subjected to hemorrhagic shock. The animals were randomly allocated in two experimental groups, the control (group CO, n = 10) and the centhaquin groups (0.015 mg/kg, n = 10, group CH). Acute hemorrhage was induced by stepwise blood withdrawal (18 mL/min) from the internal jugular vein until MAP decreased to 40-45 mmHg, whereas anesthesia remained constant. All animals received HES 130/0.4 solution in the resuscitation phase until their mean arterial pressure (MAP) reached 90% of the baseline. The animals were observed for 60 min, during which no further resuscitation was attempted. Results The total amount of blood and the bleeding time did not differ significantly between group CO and group CH (120 +/- 13 vs. 120 +/- 14 mL, p = 0.6; 20 +/- 2 vs. 20 +/- 1 min, p = 0.62, respectively). During the hemorrhagic phase, only a difference in heart rate (97.6 +/- 4.4 vs. 128.4 +/- 3.6 beats/min, p = 0.038) was observed between the two groups. The time required to reach the target MAP was significantly shorter in the centhaquin group compared to controls (13.7 +/- 0.4 vs. 19.6 +/- 0.84 min, p = 0.012). During the resuscitation phase, a statistical significant difference was observed in MAP (75.2 +/- 1.6 vs. 89.8 +/- 2.1 mmHg, p = 0.02) between group CO and group CH. During the observation phase, a statistical significant difference was observed in SVR (1109 +/- 32.65 vs. 774.6 +/- 21.82 dyn s/cm(5), p = 0.039) and cardiac output (5.82 +/- 0.31 vs. 6.9 +/- 0.78 L/min, p = 0.027) between the two groups. Two animals of group CO and seven animals of group CH survived for 24 h (p = 0.008). We observed a marked increase in microvascular capillary permeability in group CO compared to group CH, with the wet/dry weight ratio being significantly higher in group CO compared to group CH (4.8 +/- 1.6 vs. 3.08 +/- 0.6, p < 0.001). Conclusions The combination of centhaquin 0.015 mg/kg and HES 130/0.4 resulted in shorter time to target MAP, lower wet-to-dry ratio, and better survival rates after resuscitation from hemorrhagic shock.