Fullerton : Drug Can Help Treat Shock, Researcher Says

A UC Irvine researcher has found that a drug used for blood disorders can also be effective in treating shock.

Dr. Kenneth Waxman, associate professor of surgery at UC Irvine’s College of Medicine, experimented with the drug pentoxyfylline. That drug is used to treat complications caused by blocked arteries and reduced blood flow.

Pentoxyfylline allows red blood cells to pass in greater numbers through small blood vessels and capillaries. Since the blood cells carry oxygen, improvement of circulation allows increased delivery of oxygen to tissues.

Shock is characterized by low blood pressure and cold, clammy skin. Diminished oxygen to tissues during shock can cause organ damage or death.

Waxman used anesthetized rats in his experiments. He found that pentoxyfylline brought twice the amount of oxygen to the rodents’ tissues, compared with a control group’s.

“The results are definitely encouraging; we hope to begin clinical trials in humans within a year,” Waxman said. He will also be investigating the drug’s ability to increase blood flow in tissues affected by other ailments.