Cardiac function in the initial stage of burn shock
Portnoĭ, V.F.; Dvortsin, G.F.; Machulin, A.V.
Patologicheskaia Fiziologiia i Eksperimental'naia Terapiia 1982(1): 10-14
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0031-2991 PMID: 7070848 Document Number: 192084
The main indices of cardiac function and systemic hemodynamics were studied in the 1st h after a burn involving 30-40% of the body surface in 9 experiments on dogs under nembutal anesthesia and artificial lung ventilation. The data were processed by a M-220 computer in real time. Study of the cardiac output by means of an electromagnetic flowmeter showed it to be increased at the moment of the burn and reduced to 50% of the initial level 5 min after the burn despite an increase in central venous pressure and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. A significant reduction in the myocardial contractility indices was recorded in the first 5 min which diminished progressively during 1 h of observation. Marked changes in cardiac function and hemodynamics, closely interconnected, occur in the earlier stage of burn trauma. The low cardiac output syndrome at the beginning of burn shock may be caused by primary cardiac weakness.