CIRCULATORY EFFECTS OF ATROPINE IN PATIENTS ANAESTHETIZED WITH GALLAMINE TRIETHIODIDE AND NITROUS OXIDE

Circulatory responses to the intravenous injection of acceleratingdoses of atropine sulphate were studied in ten patients anaesthetizedwith nitrous oxide, oxygen and gallamine triethiodide and ventilatedartificially. Small but significant increases in heart rateand cardiac output were accompanied by lowering of total peripheralresistance and circulation time. Arterial pressures, strokevolumes and stroke work were unchanged. Initial heart ratesand pressures were high, due to the use of gallamine, and itis suggested that the control levels of cardiac output werealso high. This would account for the smaller changes seen comparedwith earlier reports of the effect of atropine in patients artificiallyventilated using tubocurarine and in those spontaneously breathingnitrous oxide, oxygen and halothane.