Effectiveness of modified steroid-antibiotic therapies for lethal sepsis in the dog.

Dogs permanently recover (survive at least seven days) from lethal doses of Escherichia coli when treated early with intravenous (IV) intermittent infusions of methylprednisolone sodium succinate and gentamicin sulfate. We evaluated the therapeutic effectiveness of constant or bolus IV infusion of methylprednisolone combined with gentamicin or netilmicin sulfate. Four groups of anesthetized dogs were infused for one hour with E coli and treated as follows (% survival indicated): no treatment (0%); constant infusion of methylprednisolone and gentamicin (100%); bolus infusion of methylprednisolone and gentamicin (57%); and constant infusion of methylprednisolone and netilmicin (83%). Constant or bolus infusion of methylprednisolone was begun 15 minutes after E coli infusion was started. Gentamicin or netilmicin administration was begun when all organisms had been infused. The probability of recovery from shock was significantly increased when dogs were treated with constant infusion of methylprednisolone and intermittent infusions of gentamicin or netilmicin, but was only moderately increased when treated with intermittent bolus infusions of methylprednisolone and intermittent infusions of gentamicin.