EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECT OF DOPAMINE GLUCAGON COMBINATION IN D,L-PROPRANOLOL INTOXICATION/

1 Respiratory and cardiovascular failure are the principle toxic effec ts of beta-blocker overdose. Respiratory arrest is the primary cause o f death in beta-blocker intoxicated rats. 2 The effect of glucagon, do pamine and the combination of glucagon/dopamine on respiratory and car diovascular function and survival time in beta-blocker overdose was in vestigated in a model of acute d,l-propranolol (resp. 30 and 15 mg kg( -1) h(-1) in rat and rabbit) intoxication in spontaneously breathing r ats and artifically ventilated rats and rabbits. 3 Glucagon (initial d ose of 100 mu g kg(-1) (bolus), followed by 1 mu g kg(-1) min(-1)), do pamine (25 mu g kg(-1) min(-1)) or the combination of glucagon/dopamin e did not improve survival time (ST) in d,l-propranolol intoxicated sp ontaneously breathing rats and artificially ventilated rats and rabbit s, although some haemodynamic variables i.e. heart rate (HR), mean art erial blood pressure (MAP), left ventricular pressure (LVP(max)) and t he differentiated left ventricular pressure (LVdp/dt(max)) temporarily improved. 4 Survival time was considerably reduced in d,l-propranolol intoxicated spontaneously breathing and artifically ventilated rats t reated with a combination of glucagon/dopamine, which induced a decrea se in PaO2 and pit and an increase in PaCO2 partly due to ventilation/ perfusion mismatch. 5 The combination of glucagon/dopamine should be u sed carefully in the treatment of beta-blocker overdose in man.