Key result
Dopamine infusion did not cause QRS widening, whereas adrenaline, noradrenaline, and isoproterenol did, indicating dopamine has the lowest cardiotoxicity among the tested catecholamines.
Why the study?
Do dopamine and other catecholamines affect the electrocardiogram and blood pressure in anesthetized rats?
Do dopamine and other catecholamines affect the electrocardiogram and blood pressure in anesthetized rats?
In a rat model, dopamine infusion did not cause QRS widening, suggesting lower cardiotoxicity compared to adrenaline, noradrenaline, and isoproterenol.
May guide catecholamine selection in critical care; leaves open translation of rat QRS findings to human practice.
We compared the effects of dopamine and other catecholamines under identical conditions on electrocardiograms (ECG), heart rate, and blood pressure of rats. The experiments were carried out on anesthetized male Wistar rats weighting 330-370 g. The ECG was taken by a bipolar ECG lead in the direction of the heart axis, mean arterial pressure was measured in the carotid artery. Dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline, isoproterenol, and isotonic saline (control) were administered by continuous intravenous infusion. The infusion rate was increased 10-fold every 10 min starting with therapeutic dosages. All data were evaluated by continuous on-line biosignal processing. The results confirmed the well-known cardiovascular effects of the catecholamines; heart rate and mean arterial pressure increased after all adrenergic drugs except for isoproterenol, which caused a fall in pressure. In the ECG the PRc interval was significantly increased only by the highest doses of adrenaline and noradrenaline. A widening of the QRS complex was not observed during dopamine infusion, whereas it was present during adrenaline, noradrenaline, and especially, isoproterenol infusions. Taking the widening of QRS as indicative of cardiotoxic drug effects, the tested catecholamines may be arranged in the following order of cardiotoxicity; dopamine > adrenaline congruent to noradrenaline < isoproterenol.
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Buschmann et al. (1980) studied this question. Dopamine vs. Isotonic saline, adrenaline, noradrenaline, and isoproterenol was evaluated on Electrocardiograms (ECG), heart rate, and blood pressure. Dopamine infusion did not cause QRS widening, whereas adrenaline, noradrenaline, and isoproterenol did, indicating dopamine has the lowest cardiotoxicity among the tested catecholamines.
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