Anesth Analg 2002;95:129-132
© 2002 International Anesthesia Research Society
ANESTHETIC PHARMACOLOGY
The Dose-Related Efficacy of Diltiazem for Enhancing Diaphragmatic Fatigability in Dogs
Yoshitaka Fujii, MD,
Aki Uemura, MD, and
Hidenori Toyooka, MD
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Tsukuba Institute of Clinical Medicine, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Yoshitaka Fujii, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Tsukuba Institute of Clinical Medicine, 2-1-1, Amakubo, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki 305-8576, Japan. Address e-mail to yfujii{at}igaku.md.tsukuba.ac.jp
Nicardipine, a calcium channel blockade, enhances the production of diaphragmatic fatigue. We studied the dose-related effects of diltiazem, another calcium channel blockade, on diaphragmatic fatigability in dogs. Animals were divided into three groups of eight each. In each group, diaphragmatic fatigue was induced by intermittent supramaximal bilateral electrophrenic stimulation at a frequency of 20 Hz applied for 30 min. During this fatigue-producing period, Group I received no study drug, Group II was infused with diltiazem 0.1 mg · kg-1 · h-1, and Group III was infused with diltiazem 0.5 mg · kg-1 · h-1. We assessed diaphragmatic contractility by transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi). After the fatigue-producing period, in Group I, Pdi at low-frequency (20-Hz) stimulation decreased from baseline values (P < 0.05), whereas there was no change in Pdi at high-frequency (100-Hz) stimulation. In Groups II and III, with an infusion of diltiazem, Pdi at both stimuli decreased from baseline values (P < 0.05). The decrease in Pdi to each stimulus was more in Group III than in Group II (P < 0.05). We conclude that diltiazem causes a dose-related augmentation of fatigability in the diaphragm of dogs.
IMPLICATIONS: Diaphragmatic muscle fatigue is implicated as a cause of respiratory failure. Diltiazem, a calcium channel blockade, enhances diaphragmatic fatigability in dogs in a dose-related manner.
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