THE MODIFICATION OF DIGITALIS INTOXICATION BY EXCLUDING ADRENERGIC INFLUENCES ON THE HEART

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Instituto N. de Cardiologia, Mexico, D. F.

We have studied the modifications of digitalis intoxication caused by the following procedures: (a) neserpinization, (b) surgical removal of the thoracic sympathetic chains and the adnenals, (c) administration of the beta adnenergic blocking agent, nethalide. While all the control dogs intoxicated with cardiac glycosides die by ventricular fibrillation, most of the treated animals die in cardiac arrest. The ventricle remains excitable and propagates impulses after arrest. The ventricular arrhythmias that precede digitalis fibrillation are absent in some of the treated animals. At the same time the lethal dose of the glycosides is elevated. These changes are more likely to occur when digitoxin rather than ouabain is used. The alpha adrenergic blocking agent, phenoxybenzamine, does not modify digitalis intoxication. We ascribe the modifications of digitalis intoxication to a reduction in adnenergic influences on the heart.

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