Arterial Pressures in Tourniquet Shock

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Abstract
Direct arterial pressures were recorded throughout the course of tourniquet shock in rats. The duration of life after removal of tourniquet ranged from 90 minutes to 5 hours. Arterial pressure showed 3 main phases: (1) an abrupt fall immediately after tourniquet release; (2) sustained hypotension within a relatively narrow range, i.e 60-80 mm Hg, during most of the shock state; and (3) a terminal, more or less rapid, decline associated with death. Only in the terminal period did profound hypotension occur with levels below 40 mm. Although arterial pressure is not a reliable criterion of the severity or outcome of tourniquet shock, the absence of drastic hypotension might serve to explain why tourniquet shock is basically a reversible form of shock.

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