Does intracoronary infusion of epinephrine or norepinephrine induce ECG patterns of myocardial ischemia in dogs?
Intracoronary catecholamine infusion in dogs induces persistent ECG changes mimicking subendocardial ischemia without causing structural myocardial damage.
SummaryInfusion of epinephrine or norepinephrine into the coronary artery of dogs produced high, upright, peaked T waves with depressed ST segments. After cessation of the infusion the electrocardiogram approached normal, then gradually developed depressed and coved ST segments and inverted T waves which persisted for 7-10 days. The postinfusion electrocardiogram could be restored to normal by intracoronary infusion of epinephrine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, procaine, or phenoxybenzamine. The persistent alteration of the electrocardiogram in our animals was remarkably similar to that attributed to subendocardial ischemia in man. No evidence of structural changes was noted in the heart of one dog sacrificed after several months of infusions.
Barger et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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