Cardiovascular responses to severe hypercapnia of short duration

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee Medical Units, Memphis, Tennessee

Dogs under pentobarbital anesthesia were employed in an investigation of the effect of abrupt, severe hypercapnia upon blood pressure, heart rate, and force of myocardial contraction. Electrocardiographic activity and arterial blood pH were also monitored. Hypercapnia was induced for 10-min periods with 15 and 30% CO² in oxygen. The studies were undertaken in nontreated animals and animals treated with atropine, reserpine, chlorisondamine, P-286, or bilateral adrenalectomy. Severe hypercapnia was shown to be depressant to the cardiovascular parameters evaluated, but blood pressure and contractile force normally demonstrated compensation to this depression. Parasympathetic blockade with atropine did not reduce the depression observed in the nontreated dogs during hypercapnia. Results obtained with other pretreated animals indicate that compensation occurs primarily via sympathetic activation. Adrenal activation may assume importance in compensation to 30% CO₂, but intact adrenals were not necessary for survival during hypercapnia. No arrhythmias (excluding bradycardia) were observed during or immediately following exposure to either concentration of CO₂.

Key Words: respiratory acidosis • sympathetic activation • adrenal blockade • cardiovascular depression and compensation

Submitted on March 2, 1964

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