Hemodynamic and humoral characteristics of hypertension induced by prolonged stellate ganglion stimulation in conscious dogs.

Recent evidence has suggested that cardiac factors may play a role in the evolution of arterial hypertension. To test the possibility that an increase in cardiac-performance can lead to a sustained increase in systemic blood pressure, we electrically stimulated the left stellate ganglion of six conscious dogs continuously for a 7-day period and monitored cardiac output and arterial blood pressure. In all six dogs, stimulation elicited an abrupt rise in systemic blood pre-sure that was entirely due to rise in cardiac output that lasted at least 6 hours. After 1 day of continuous stimulation, cardiac output retured to control values, but blood pressure remained elevated. After 7 days of stimulation, blood pressure was increased by an average of 25 mm Hg and peripheral resistance by 35 plus and minus 4%. Measurements of blood volume, plasma renin activity, circulating catecholamines (three of the six dogs), and sodium balance showed that none of these factors could explain the development pf this sustained hypertension. Pharmacologic blockade with phenoxybenzamine prevented in large part the rise in blood pressure in short-term stellate ganglion stimulations, whereas propranolol had very little effect on the pressor response, although it nearly abolished the increase in cardiac output. The data indicate that continuous stimulation of the stellate ganglion in conscious dogs leads to substained rises in both blood pressure and peripheral resistance; these changes are apparently mediated by increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system.