Induced Hypotension: Action of Sodium Nitroprusside and Nitroglycerin on the Microcirculation

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced hypotension is associated with tissue hypoxia in liver and skeletal muscle, suggesting a redistribution of nutritional capillary flow. To test this hypothesis, the effects of SNP and nitroglycerin (NTG) on striated muscle vessels were studied in 42 hamsters using intravital microscopy, quantitative video image analysis, a platinum multiwire electrode for local Po2 measurements, and a micropuncture system for the determination of microcirculatory pressure. A transparent chamber was implanted in a dorsal skin fold. When the mean arterial pressure was reduced to 70 or 40 mmHg by SNP, the precapillaries dilated and precapillary resistance decreased, but significant changes in venular diameter were not observed. However, SNP-induced hypotension was associated with a consistent increase in intravascular pressure within the venules. As a result, the arteriolar-venular pressure gradient was reduced by more than 50%. Furthermore, the functional capillary density was less, and tissue hypoxia was present during SNP hypotension. In contrast, NTG dilated both arterioles and venules in the microvascular network. Despite a lower blood cell velocity in all segments, the functional capillary density and local Po2 remained unchanged during NTG, principally because there was only a 10% reduction of the arteriolar-venular pressure gradient. These findings suggest that, in terms of tissue oxygenation, NTG may be preferable to SNP for deliberate hypotension.