Cardiac Output by the Dye Dilution Technique Under Thiopental Sodium-Oxygen and Ether Anesthesia

¹ From the Departments of Physiology and Medical Physics, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

One hundred-twenty determinations of cardiac output by the dye dilution technic utilizing the cuvette oximeter were made on 20 dogs. Of these, 60 were done under thiopental sodium-oxygen analgesia and 60 were done after supplementing with ether. Arterial blood pressure was recorded by strain gauge. Electrocardiograms were taken periodically. Concentrations of thiopental and ether in arterial blood were determined. Cardiac output began to increase under thiopental analgesia and continued to increase when ether was administered. Arterial blood pressure and heart rate decreased slightly when ether was administered. Stroke index increased when ether was administered. Total peripheral resistance decreased markedly under thiopental analgesia, and continued to decrease when ether was administered. When compared with an earlier study in which cyclopropane was used as the supplementing agent, it was found that cyclopropane and ether exert opposite effects on cardiac output and peripheral resistance despite the fact that the effect on arterial blood pressure is similar under the two agents. Increase in cardiac output was found to be parallel with decrease in total peripheral resistance in this study. Amount of dye injected did not influence cardiac output. Under the conditions of this study, cardiac output was in no way dependent on the concentration of thiopental in the blood nor on the amount injected. Level of ether in the blood did not show much effect, if any, on cardiac output. It is probable that the changes observed in this study are comparable with those which obtain clinically when thiopental-oxygen analgesia is supplemented with ether. Systolic blood pressure is not an infallible guide to other cardiovascular functions since it may remain fairly steady while cardiac output and peripheral resistance undergo marked changes under anesthesia.