Cardiovascular toxicology
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Cardiovascular toxicology · Oct 2018
On the Efficacy of Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation and Epinephrine Following Cyanide- and H2S Intoxication-Induced Cardiac Asystole.
This study was aimed at determining the efficacy of epinephrine, followed by chest compressions, in producing a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) during cyanide (CN)- or hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-induced toxic cardiac pulseless electrical activity (PEA) in the rat. Thirty-nine anesthetized rats were exposed to either intravenous KCN (n = 27) or H2S solutions (n = 12), at a rate that led to a PEA within less than 10 min. In the group intoxicated by CN, 20 rats were mechanically ventilated and received either epinephrine (0.1 mg/kg i.v. n = 10) followed by chest compressions or saline (n = 10, "control CN") when in PEA. ⋯ Epinephrine, along with CPR maneuvers, was highly effective in resuscitating rodents intoxicated with CN or H2S. Since epinephrine is readily available in any ambulance, its place as an important countermeasure against mitochondrial poisons should be advocated. It remains critical to determine whether the systematic administration of epinephrine to any victims found hypotensive following CN or H2S intoxication could prevent PEA, decrease post-ischemic brain injury and increase the efficacy of current antidotes by improving the circulatory status.
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Cardiovascular toxicology · Aug 2018
Comparative StudyThe Role of Intralipid Emulsion in the Rat Model of Digoxin Intoxication.
Although the mechanism of action is not well known, intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of lipophilic drug intoxications. It is thought that, ILE probably separates the lipophilic drugs from target tissue by creating a lipid-rich compartment in the plasma. The second theory is that ILE provides energy to myocardium with high-dose free fatty acids activating the voltage-gated calcium channels in the myocytes. ⋯ DigiFab, ILE or ILE-DigiFab treatment make no significant difference in terms of the first arrhythmia and cardiac arrest duration in digoxin-intoxicated rats. However, it is not possible to say that at the given doses, ILE treatment might be successful at least as a known antidote. The fact that the statistical significance between the two groups is not observed in the subgroup analysis, the study should be repeated with larger groups.
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Cardiovascular toxicology · Feb 2018
Comparative StudyEffects of Remifentanil Pretreatment on Bupivacaine Cardiotoxicity in Rats.
Unintentional intravascular administration of bupivacaine may cause local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST). Although many systems are affected in LAST, the cardiovascular effects can be life-threatening. Remifentanil is a selective, ultra-short-acting, µ-opioid receptor agonist opioid. ⋯ Finally, asystole occurred after 553.6 ± 74.4, 766.7 ± 64.8, and 800.1 ± 94.7 s in groups B, L, and R, respectively. This finding indicates that the survival time of rats administered pretreatment with ILE plus remifentanil and those given ILE was observed to be longer. Additionally, this study found that intravenous lipid emulsion plus remifentanil pretreatment did not result in better durations in terms of formation of bupivacaine intoxication and asystole compared to lipid pretreatment alone.
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Cardiovascular toxicology · Oct 2017
Review Case ReportsTreatment of Amlodipine Intoxication with Intravenous Lipid Emulsion Therapy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
We report the case of a 25-year-old female presenting to the emergency department after committing suicide by ingesting 100 mg amlodipine. The patient was initially treated with intravenous fluids, calcium gluconate, catecholamines and glucagone without effect. The clinical condition of the patient improved quickly and dramatically on the 20th minute of intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) therapy. ⋯ Among these, lipid emulsion therapy has risen over the last decade as a salvation in cases which do not respond to other treatments. However, given the paucity of data, there are conflicting recommendations about the indications, dose and timing of ILE in the literature. In the light of this case report, we review the literature and discuss whether ILE therapy can find itself a place among first-line therapy recommendations.
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Cardiovascular toxicology · Jul 2017
Assessment of Safety Margin of an Antipsychotic Drug Haloperidol for Torsade de Pointes Using the Chronic Atrioventricular Block Dogs.
Since an antipsychotic drug haloperidol has been clinically reported to induce QT interval prolongation and torsade de pointes, in this study its risk stratification for the onset of torsade de pointes was performed by using the chronic atrioventricular block canine model with a Holter electrocardiogram. Haloperidol in a dose of 3 mg kg-1 p.o. prolonged the QT interval, but it did not induce torsade de pointes during the observation period of 21 h (n = 4), indicating that the dose would be safe. Meanwhile, haloperidol in a dose of 30 mg kg-1 p.o. significantly increased the short-term variability in beat-to-beat analysis of QT interval (n = 4), and it induced torsade de pointes in 4 animals out of 4, showing that the dose could be torsadogenic. Since 3 mg kg-1 p.o. of haloperidol in this study can be estimated to provide about 8 times higher plasma concentrations than its therapeutic level, haloperidol may be used safely for most of the patients, as long as its plasma drug concentration is kept within the therapeutic range.