JOURNAL HOME CME HOME THIS MONTH PAST ISSUES ETOC COLLECTIONS AUTHORS REVIEWERS EDITORIAL BOARD FEEDBACK RSS HELP
		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gallant, E. M. Articles by Gronert, G. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gallant, E. M. Articles by Gronert, G. A.

Verapamil Is Not a Therapeutic Adjunct to Dantrolene in Porcine Malignant Hyperthermia

Department of Veterinary Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota; the Department of Anesthesiology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York; the Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota; and the Department of Anesthesiology, Mayo Medical School, Rochester, Minnesota.

Abstract

We have investigated the hypothesis that the calcium antagonist verapamil might be useful for prevention or treatment of malignant hyperthermia (MH) in MH-susceptible (MHS) swine. MH episodes were triggered in four groups of four swine with halothane alone or combined with succinylcholine (SCh) and, with and without verapamil. MH episodes were reversed by therapy with dantrolene and NaHCO₃ in all groups. Verapamil did not alter MH episodes triggered by halothane alone or combined with SCh. The dantrolene--NaHCO₃ requirements for reversal of MH were greater for the groups receiving halothane--SCh, but did not differ in groups pretreated with and without verapamil. In vitro verapamil (25 µM) did not reduce responses of intact muscle fibers to halothane and, in fact, exaggerated some halothane-induced responses. High concentrations of verapamil (0.5 mM) caused contractures in MHS but not in normal muscles. Neither our in vivo nor in vitro results support the use of verapamil in the treatment of MH. Further, doses of dantrolene used to reverse these MH episodes, although admittedly small (1--2 mg/kg), did not produce myocardial depression when used in combination with verapamil.

Key Words: HYPERTHERMIA—malignant • PHARMACOLOGY—verapamil

Anesthesia & Analgesia® is published for the International Anesthesia Research Society® by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins with the assistance of Stanford University Libraries' HighWire Press®. Copyright 2006 by the International Anesthesia Research Society. Online ISSN: 1526-7598   Print ISSN: 0003-2999