Abstract
Extract: The cardiovascular effects of propranolol (Inderal) [24] were compared in 13 adult dogs and 14 puppies. Left ventricular (LV) pressure was measured with a catheter tip manometer and myocardial contractility was assessed by LV measurements of peak rate of pressure development (LV dp/dt), LV dp/dt at 40 mm Hg LV pressure (P40 dp/dt), and peak LV (dp/dt)/P. Cardiac output was measured by indocyanine green dye dilution. Measurements were made before and 5 min after intravenous propranolol (0.5 g/kg) administered over a period of 1 min. In the adult dog, propranolol produced a significant depression of cardiac index and peak LV systolic pressure, significant elevation of systemic resistance index and LV end-diastolic pressure, and a significant fall in indices of myocardial contractility. The changes in heart rate, cardiac index, peak LV systolic pressure, and contractility indices produced by propranolol were 2–4 times greater, on a percentage basis, in the puppies as in the adult dogs. The systemic resistance index and LV end-diastolic pressure changed similarly in both groups. The increased sensitivity of the puppies to propranolol appears to reflect a greater dependence on circulating catecholamines in the immature circulation.
Speculation: A greater depression of the cardiovascular function, induced by propranolol, is shown in puppies as compared with adult dogs. This is thought to reflect either an increased dependence of the puppy circulation on circulating catecholamines, or an increased sensitivity to the known myocardial depressant effects of propranolol.
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Truccone, N., Levine, O. Cardiovascular Effects of Propranolol in Intact Puppies and Adult Dogs. Pediatr Res 7, 931–936 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197311000-00010
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197311000-00010