EPINEPHRINE IN THE CIRCULATING BLOOD DURING ETHER ANESTHESIA

¹ Department of Pharmacology, West Virginia University, School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia

Plasma epinephrine levels have been followed in rabbits arid in dogs during the various stages of ether anesthesia. The rat uterus intermittently stinumlated with carbachol with an automatic apparatus was used for all assays.

There were significant increases in plasma epinephrine in the rabbit at the end of induction of surgical anesthesia and after thirty minutes surgical anesthesia.

In dogs the plasma epinephrine levels during quiet ether anesthesia were variable, ranging front undetectable levels in most experiments to very high levels during hypertensive episodes in a few animals.

During ether overdosage significant quantities of epinephnine were observed in most dogs at the time of respiratory arrest amid increased to very high levels at the time of cardiovascular failure with hypotension.