The granulocytopenic response in hemorrhagic shock.

When endotoxins are given intravenously the granulocytes leave the active stream of the circulation and congregate chiefly in the capillaries of the lung, spleen and liver. The same phenomenon can be expected to occur in hemorrhagic shock because experimental evidence suggests that the loss of the antibacterial defenses in shock results in the development of an endotoxemia (1). This paper presents the results of a comparative study of the circulating granulocytes in hemorrhagic shock and in endotoxemia, including data concerning the possible mechanisms involved.