Cardiac effects of acute ethanol ingestion unmasked by autonomic blockade.

9 normal subjects, age 20-35 years

Acute ethanol ingestion (180 ml over 60 minutes) combined with autonomic blockade (intravenous propranolol 0.2 mg/kg and atropine 0.04 mg/kg)

Autonomic blockade alone and baseline control periods

Left ventricular function measured by heart rate, mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening, and left ventricular pre-ejection period to ejection time ratio (PEP/LVET)surrogate